Nihility
by Ichigo and Orenji
Summary: Long ago a mysterious power was released from Mt.Fuji, the mysterious power now resides in 5 caves in Japan. Every 500 years the power choses five shamans to wield them, but why? And what is the mysterious force that wishes to destroy it...?
1. Prologue

_Despite the fact that the tiny suburbs of Funbari were a part of the much larger Tokyo, the streets were oddly still for this time of night, even if it was only a bit past 10:00 PM. _

_Though…_

_Perhaps it was the proximity to the cemetery that was what caused the lack of the living. Many would even go as far to say that the cemetery omitted a particularly unpleasant and unwelcoming aura. More so then any other cemetery. _

_As always there were tales and __rumors__ designed by teenagers and young children with the intent of frightening their friends and classmates, and as the warm spring air became more humid with the promise of the summer rainy season, the tales seemed to become more and more frightening. _

_After all, summer _was_ the season for ghost tales in this country called Japan. _

_Thus for a young, studious boy and the many people he was bound to meet along the way as he embarked on his journey of self-discovery and growth...the season was forever summer. _

_For there are always people whose year, and their entire life is filled with visits from ghouls and spectres, some friendly and some…not so much…_

_But, regardless of the ghosts' intentions, there were people who had to deal with them. Treat them like they were alive, and interact with them like they were alive, and sometimes punish them as if they were still alive. To them, ghosts were real, made out of flesh and bones and not ectoplasm or any of the various materials ghosts are said to be composed of…_

_The tiny boy had thought the boy he met in the cemetery that faithful night was strange and odd. A boy who spoke differently and acted differently. He thought that boy was the only one like him….someone that could see and interact with ghosts as though they were people…_

_But the boy had known another months before that. A girl who had transferred into his class at the beginning of the school year just as mysteriously as the boy did, and said a cryptic message that struck Manta to the core, "My best friends are ghosts" He thought she was crazy, an occult freak...until that night..._

_Together they all met that night, the strange boy seated on a gravestone, the strange girl who claimed to befriend ghosts, and the boy who found himself caught in the middle...and a new door was opened…_

_What was beyond it unknown…_

_And so…their tale began..._


	2. Summer Night Town

Chapter 1: Summer Night Town

Manta loved going to cram school, as odd as it sounded. He loved studying, and he was good at it. It just came naturally to him. He may be small but his mental prowess more then made up for him needing a foot stool to reach the bathroom sink.

What he didn't like was when cram school let out. He didn't dislike it because it was late, because the world was dark and it was difficult to see. No, it was because he knew that the later out he got, the closer the time was to the departure of one of the last few trains for the day, he was more likely to run into _her._

With the intentions of avoiding her for once, Manta scrambled over the black, metal fence that quarantined off the Karasumori graveyard. The gate was nearly as tall as him, so it was quite the struggle to get himself up and over all the while clutching his precious Manjien under his arm. Somehow, he succeeded in climbing over, but his dismount was dismal. He landed on the ground with a dull thud.

Grumbling, he stood, brushing off his clothes. He was off to a fine start.

Suddenly, giggling rang through the air, and with wild eyes he began to search for the owner of the laughter he was growing to learn all too well.

And there she was, seated on a tombstone that was practically beside him. The transfer student with the Kansai accent, who in her 3 months of transfering has caused more of a stir then anyone else...

Sakuraii Kotomi.

She seemed ordinary enough, shoulder-length brown hair with sections tied with ribbons. Apart from the "illegal" alterations she performed to her uniform(such as showing up to school with the only article that is an official part of the uniform being the green skirt, the rest substitutions from her own wardrobe) she seemed like a normal girl...

But anyone who had been in Class 1-C could testify that she was a lunatic...

"Hi! I'm Sakuraii Kotomi, from Nara! Please take care of me, I hope you'll all be my friends as well as the boy in the desk in the back row beside the window!"

But there was no one in that desk...there hadn't been since the student died in a traffic accident a month prior.

"Manta! Good evening. What's up, yo?" Kotomi giggled. "You took quite the tumble there!"

Manta was glowering as he stormed past her, intent on just ignoring her and hoping she'd get the message and leave him alone. No such luck, however. After a moment she was following up the stairs, chatting about how glad she was she came since she was sure she was going to get lost on the way home again.

"Stop following me!" he finally cried, irritated as he reached the top of the steps, and stood adjacent to the bridge that led to a tiny island of earth inhabited solely by a single grave and a large, old tree.

Kotomi looked embarrassed as she rubbed at her head. "Aww...don't say it like that! I'm walking with you!"

"What the heck!? How is this 'waking with?' You practically drag me! You also call me at six in the morning to come and get you for school even though we aren't friends, you make me walk you to the train station...actually...HOW DID YOU EVEN GET MY NUMBER?! IT'S UNLISTED!"

"Ehehehe, well, the funny thing about that is--"

"The stars are pretty."

She stopped surprised by the sudden comment. "The stars…?"

She tilted her towards the sky and discovered that the black canvas was dotted with many white speckles accompanied by clusters of purple swirls and stripes and immediately dug out her camcorder and began filming. "Uwah…"

"Wow! No kidding!" Manta paused, his mind suddenly registering the unfamiliar voice. "What are you!?"

"Huh?" Kotomi asked as she tore her eyes from the sky and looked over to where the voice had come from.

The boy laughed and stood up from his spot on "the island," brushed off the seat of his pants and ventured towards them, hands deep in his pockets. "No one! You came to watch the stars too right? Come on over! Let's watch them with everyone!"

"Oh! Thank you!" Kotomi greeted cheerfully, turning her camera from the sky and onto the boy (who seemed surprised, but waved and smiled sheepishly, and even offered a small "Hi!")

"It's kind of late already…and by the way…isn't your grammar incorrect? When you're referring to three people, you don't say 'everyone'!"

"Grammar or not…I really meant everyone!"

"Huh?"

"The spirits!"

Suddenly 30 or more spirits of various shapes, sizes and seemingly occupations appeared amongst the brunette haired boy standing on the opposing hill.

Kotomi smiled. "Everyone, how are you?!" she asked as she waved cheerfully. "I haven't seen you guys in awhile! How ya been?"

"Oh? You know them, too?" the boy smiled when she nodded. "That's great! Come on over!"

Kotomi was about to agree when Manta's look of terror finally resulted in him screaming at the top of his lungs. "Ehhh? Whats? Did we miss the train?"

"Aww…" the stargazing boy offered sympathetically.

Looking between the still screaming Manta and the cheerful boy, Kotomi was temporarily unsure of what to do. "Um…I'm really sorry to do this but…" she grabbed Manta by his collar and began to drag him off, waving, "We'll have to decline your invitation, everyone. I have to take this guy home! Maybe next time!"

The brunette waved at her retreating back a smile on his face before seating himself back onto the ground and returned his gaze to the white dots above….

* * *

"Hey, Manta...? Are you okay?"

Manta blinked, looking back at Kotomi as she stood sheepishly on the threshold of the gate that lead into his large yard. She was worried about him? Maybe he had been too harsh on her in the past...

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"Oh, good!" she laughed, her hand behind her head again. "Could you call me a cab or something? I can't figure out how to get home from here!"

....never mind! She was exactly as he thought she was!!!

* * *

"GHOSTS!?"

"Yeah! On the way home from cram school! I met a weird person at the Funbari Cemetery. And suddenly it became really crowded with ghosts! It surprised me!"

"Manta, are you alright?" a large boy listening to the tale asked.

"Eh? Whaddya mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean? There's no such things as ghosts."

"Heheh. Such a reaction is natural. Even I would have thought that way if yesterday's incident hadn't occurred. However…I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Huh?"

"Hey now, quit making up stories," a second, much thinner boy said. "Or better yet, stop telling them to him Kotomi."

The girl blinked, looking up from the screen of her camera, nervous. "What did I do now?"

A lightbulb went off in Manta's head. Kotomi's camcorder...she had it filming last night!

"Here! I'll show you! Kotomi had her camera going last night, she was with me! Show it to us!"

"Hm? Well, okay..." she said, starting to re-wind back to the mid-point of the tape and then started to play it.

There was the smiling boy, waving, and then...then...nothing.

Nothing. There was a burst of static and the screen went dead.

"Oh darn..." Kotomi sighed, shutting the viewer, looking depressed. "It did it again. This thing's ancient. When it gets near the end of a cassette it sometimes erases the last ten minutes."

Severely irritated that he was made a fool of, again, Manta started yelling again, startling Kotomi and making the other students sigh.

"Ah...he's losing it too…"

"I really saw it! At the cemetery they were staring at the stars and chatting!"

"Yeah, yeah. That's great."

"I'M SERIOUS!"

"Maybe you're just worn out from studying too much?"

"Or maybe he's being haunted by one of Kotomi's friends?"

"Good one!"

The three students began to laugh, not noticing how their comment seemed to light a fire under Manta and make Kotomi even sadder.

"Hey! Homeroom's starting! Return to your seats!" the homeroom teacher said as he entered the room.

Kotomi sighed, preparing herself for another boring day, since, with her camera out of commission, she actually had to pay attention, instead of napping away the dullness of Tokyo, dreaming of when she'd be able to go home again, back to Nara, where she had lots of friend and family to spend time with.

However, paying attention didn't seem to be as much of a problem as usual when she saw who walked in after the teacher. It was the boy from the night before, same clothes, same orange headphones.

"Eh? Do you know him…Oyamada?" the teacher asked as Manta began to scream and point at the stoic, sleepy looking boy.

"Eh…ah…no…"

"Then sit down."

"Yes, sir…"

Manta was almost growling as he sat back down, his body visibly shaking. That was the second time today this boy, Asakura Yoh, had embarrassed him. He'd get his revenge...and Kotomi was going to help him!

* * *

"...Why am I doing this again?" she asked after school.

"Since you befriend ghosts and he befriends ghosts, go chat him up and pump him for information!"

School had just let out for the day, when Oyamada Manta had set his plan in motion. The location: A small bridge that spanned across a small river that flowed between some warehouses in the heart of the city.

"And...?"

"Because we're friends..."

"And...?"

Manta sighed. "And because I'll buy you dumplings..."

"Yummy~!" she chirped, skipping over to Yoh as Manta hid behind a pillar.

"Hi~! Yoh-kun!"

Yoh blinked and glanced over at her. "Ohh, hi!"

Kotomi stopped beside him and peered down over the edge of the bridge, "Ehhh? Watching the river…?"

"Mm!"

"Ehhh, that's nice! Back home I'd look at the river too. Though now…" she rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed gesture, "I seem to be lucky if I find my house…ahaha."

"Haha."

_Now Kotomi!_ Manta thought. _Be useful for once! Make him say something incriminating!_'

"Hey, Yoh-kun?" she asked as she set her bag down on the railing and began fishing around inside of it for something. "Is your invitation still valid?"

She pulled out a loaf of bread leftover from her lunch and tore off a small chunk and threw it to the ducks below. "To watch the stars, I mean. I wouldn't mind. It sounds like fun."

Yoh looked surprised for a moment at what seemed to be genuine interest on Kotomi's part before he too smiled, "Sure! It's always a good night to watch the stars!"

"Ehh? Really!? Awright!! I'm stoked!"

'_Noooo!_' the tiny boy thought, annoyed. '_Don't feed the ducks! Feed my need for information!_'

"Bread?" Kotomi asked casually as she held out the loaf to Yoh.

"Oh, thank you," he took the loaf from her and began to pick off pieces and began feeding the ducks just as Kotomi did.

'_How long are they planning to stay like that!?_' Manta asked in irritation after 3 hours. '_Ugh! I'm just wasting precious time! What's so fun about staring at a river for a couple of hours! They ran out of bread for the ducks after 15 minutes!_'

He suddenly noticed Yoh stretching. "Huh!? Is he finally gunna start moving?"

"Enjoyed yourself?" the girl asked curiously.

"Yeah!" Yoh replied with a grin. "Communing with nature is fun!"

"Ehh, it feels nice to hear someone say that! No one appreciates the little things anymores! It's so sad!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Manta yelled shocked.

_Da...Damn… _Manta thought as he counted his blessings at being able to hide so quickly, as the two teens looked in his direction. _I've reached my limit without even noticing…I hope I wasn't noticed…GAH!? What the hell!?_ he had just glanced around the pole to notice the bridge unoccupied.

"I'VE LOST THEM!" he cried dramatically as some stray debris blew past him.

Oh, he would not be defeated! To the cemetery! They even said they were going to go star gazing together! Time to set up for phase two!

* * *

Unfortunately…phase two was even less successful then phase one was…

"Eh!? What happened to you!?" the brunette girl from the day before cried as she noticed Manta's bandaged head, arm and black eye.

"Manta-kun…?" Kotomi spoke uncertainly.

"I got beaten up by Bokuto no Ryu. It happened while I was trying to take a picture of the ghosts…"

"Are you still talking about that?" the girl sighed.

"But…" he began.

"What do you mean 'but?' Isn't this enough already?"

"Manta…"

"Look at the trouble your stories caused Kotomi!" the girl whirled around, glaring at the smaller one, making her flinch. "Tell him it's just a story, Kotomi! Tell him!"

"But…" the two spirit-sense endowed people said in unison before Manta continued. "Even so, I really saw it!"

"It's because you keep saying that crap you were beaten up by Ryu. Isn't that right?" the largest student asked.

There was a pause, during which Manta began shaking, "It's different…I really saw it…I REALLY SAW IT!"

The entire class fell silent as they looked towards the tiny boy who had never spoken so loudly and strongly before. "Manta…" said the girl.

"I didn't say anything that was a lie…" his voice was shaking as though he was about to cry. "Really…really…"

"Yeah, it's not a lie." Manta spun around surprised to find Yoh looking down at him with a gentle smile. "There are spirits."

* * *

"Hey," Kotomi shut Manta's shoe locker for him as he put on his shoes, having already retrieved hers. "I'll walk you home if you want Manta...I need to get a new camera anyway."

Manta didn't say anything. He didn't even comment that she would likely get lost and he'd have to go fetch her, defeating the purpose of her walking him home.

"I've heard the situation from my friends at the cemetery."

"Eh?" Kotomi spun around finding Yoh standing behind them.

"What are you talking about? I'm busy with my studies. I can't waste my time like you do."

"Oyamada…Manta…right?" Yoh suddenly grabbed Manta's hand and began jogging out of the school dragging Manta along after him, "Come on. Let's go."

"Wa-wait, wait a second! Go where?!"

"Ahhh!" Kotomi snatched up her bag trying to swing it onto her back as she ran after them, "Hey, hey, hey you two! Wait for me!"

"We're going to where Ryu is!"

"Ehhh!?"

"My grandfather once said that evil beings can't see spirits. Therefore, you must be a good person. I can't sit still after knowing that a good person like you was bullied."

Kotomi giggled as she fell into step with the taller boy. "So despite how he looks Yoh-kun gets things done when he feels like it."

"Hehe…"

"Eh? Whats, whats?" Kotomi asked as she noticed Manta's horrified expression.

"Don't bother!" the tiny boy snatched his hand away from Yoh causing everyone to stop, "What are you planning to do when we see Ryu? He's a bad guy with a warranty on it. Besides, he has so many sidekicks…what can a dull kid like you do?"

"Yeah…no doubt I'm weak…" suddenly Yoh looked back at them and smiled, "It's alright! It'll work out somehow! Now, let's go!"

He grabbed Manta's hand again and the trio began moving again, "I'm sorry I pretended not to know you guys yesterday."

"It's ok! You're making up for it now!"

"Okay!" he and the only girl in the trio exchanged smiles before he looked ahead again, "I don't like being bothered usually. I didn't wanna cause any turmoil in school because of me. Since spirits are usually unseen."

"Ehhhh!? Really!?" a question mark appeared above her head, "I thought everyone could see them…"

"Really?"

She nodded, "This is my first time being on my own outside of my family…so I just assumed everyone could see them like my family could."

Manta blinked up at her in surprise. Was that why she mentioned the ghost thing?

The boy grinned. "That's ok! You're with people who can see them now!"

She blinked, finding the smile oddly comforting Then she noticed the tears running down Manta's face as he was dragged along half on the ground, half off the ground like a kite on a mildly windy day, "Ahhh, hang in there, Manta-kun! At least you don't have to run! And…"

She peered behind them as they started down the sidewalk, "At least there isn't a truck following us."

Manta could only stare at her…and wonder why she mentioned a truck at all.

* * *

"Um…hello?"

"Huh?" Yoh asked as he pulled his headphones off his and Kotomi's ears and looked back at Manta, "Did you say something?"

Manta twitched. Really, ever since they got there and the Yoh and Kotomi discovered that they had the same taste in music, they had been glued together at the head by his headphones like a couple of Siamese twins.

"What I mean is…could you please untie me…?" Manta asked from his spot where he was tied against the large tree in the cemetery where they met Yoh two nights ago.

"If I untie you, you'll run away."

"Exactly why…"

"Exactly why we can't untie you~!"

"Why…why do I have to…"

"Well, when it all ends, I'll untie you." Yoh promised, "Just have some patience and watch."

"Watch what? Watch how you get beaten up by Bokuto no Ryu?"

"Somehow I don't think that's gunna happen…" the pig-tailed girl mused, trying to recall why the surname "Asakura" seemed to be setting bells off in her head.

"Umm…rather then that…what I'm trying to say is…"

"Eh?"

"I want you to watch…me."

"But, it was nothing!"

Manta's eyes bulged at the sound of the older male voice, "Ahh! That voice…!"

"That voice…?" Kotomi followed Manta's gaze, her eyes landing on the group of teenagers approaching.

"Huh?" a tall teen with a wooden sword and a very distinct hairstyle said as he noticed a small group of people before them, "Who's there? Ah?"

Yoh stood up calmly, brushing his pants off just as he did two nights ago when he first met Kotomi and Manta, "Yo. I'm Asakura Yoh…and these are my friends!"

"H-How do you do…?"

"What's shakin'~?" Kotomi greeted with a cheeky wink and salute, nearly causing Manta to die out of sheer embarrassment.

"My friend seemed to owe you some debt, " Kotomi blinked as Yoh's voice seemed to turn serious. "So I came by to return the favour."

"Favour?" Ryu chuckled. "Are you saying you're going to avenge him? You sure got some guts. You must really wanna see the other world soon."

"Even those of the other world are saying you people are annoying" Yoh continued.

"Apologize!" Manta screamed kicking his tiny legs. "Kneel down and apologize!"

"Ehhhh?" Kotomi pointed at Ryu. "Who would kneel down to him? He looks like he's out of date…I mean, what kind of punk wears regent hair now? Isn't that, like, old school shounen? It's way out of date! F! F! F MINUS, MINUS!"

"KOTOMIIIII!" Manta was horrified. "BE QUIET FOR ONCE! PLEASEEEE!"

"Ryu-san! We'll take care of them!" one of the gang members said.

"There's no need for Ryu-san to waste any effort on this…" said another.

"Ahh! Apologize already! The both of you!" Manta blinked as he noticed Kotomi digging around in her bag and pulled out her camcorder, opened the viewer window, and began beating it with the palm of her head to get it to turn on.

"KOTOMI! Now's not the time to play with your camera! Kotomi!!" he hung his head, "She never listens…"

"I told you, it's alright!"

Manta could only stare at the headphone wearing boy. "It's impossible to do anything by yourself!"

"I'm not alone!!"

Manta and Kotomi were surprised when a faint, filmy shape began to materialize behind Yoh. _Then you really are…_ Kotomi thought, as she finally recalled where she had heard the surname "Asakura." In her grandfather's lessons about shaman families...

"I shall grant thee an opportunity to redeem your mistakes. So, you should be thankful!" the shape declared as it finally began to materialize.

"Manta…watch me closely. Shall we do it then? Alright! Amidamaru! Spirit-ball mode!" the spirit that had materialized behind him suddenly turned into a bluish mist before solidifying again in the form of a blue ball with a stern face and hair like the spirit that had stood there moments ago, "I'm a Shaman…the one who links this world with the next!"

"Sha…shaman…?"

"Let's go! Hyoui…gattai!"

Suddenly the gang members that had been charging at Yoh had been hurled up into the air and their limp bodies crashed to the ground with a thud.

"What the hell just happened?"

"It was too fast. I couldn't see anything."

Kotomi smiled at Manta. "If you blinked I have it all on film."

"WHY ARE YOU SO CALM!?"

"What's wrong? Are you scared of my blade…?" The samurai seemed to taunt through Yoh's voice. "Tch. Amateur."

The sound of the final thread of Ryu's restraint snapping was almost audible. All of a sudden Ryu charged his sword ready to strike...only for Yoh to suddenly disappear, and re-appear beneath him, thrusting the grave marker he had been using as a make shift sword up and through Ryu's hair.

"Ahh! Ryu-san's been defeated! Run!" cried the gang, scooping up their leader.

Manta could only stare at Yoh in surprise, '_Shaman...to unite with the spirit...the spirit's movement, skills, everything...reappears using his body...amazing!_'

"Yoh-kun~~!" Yoh turned surprised as the samurai pulled away from his body and, before he knew it, Kotomi had caught him in a hug, "That was amazing, Yoh-kun!"

"Hehe…thanks…" he rubbed his head embarrassed as Kotomi let him go.

"Hehe, I had completely forgotten how cool Hyoui Gattai looks when you're not the one performing it. Thanks for showing me again!" she laughed at Yoh's surprised expression and bowed.

"I think it's long overdue but…it's nice to meet you, Asakura Yoh-kun. I'm Sakuraii Kotomi, you spell it with the kanji for "sakura", "cloth," and Kotomi with three hiragana."

Yoh's eyes widened. Sakuraii was the name of one of the old Kansai clans. "Ohh! Why didn't you say who you were in the beginning?! It's nice to meet you! I'm Asakura Yoh, you spell it with "hemp", "storehouse" and "leaf!'"

"Nice to meet you! Ahaha…I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I completely forgot to introduce myself! I have such bad manners."

"It's ok!"

"Ahh…poor thing…" Kotomi said as she suddenly bent over the broken tombstone.

"We should fix it up!" Yoh said appearing beside her.

"Right! Let's go find some glue!"

"Yeah!"

"H-Hey, guys?" Manta cried, kicking his tiny legs. "I-I'm still tied to the tree...Hey, guys? GUYS!?"

Needless to say, when the two brunets returned half an' hour later with glue and found Manta tied to the tree still, he wasn't very pleased...


	3. Stakeout! Swords Can't Cry Can They?

(Ichigo: New chapter up and ready! Chapter 3 in the works as we speak

Orenji: Enjoy!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...despite forgetting to put this in the last few times...

* * *

Chapter 2: Stakeout! Swords Can't Cry Can They?

"Hey, Manta!" Yoh greeted, raising his hand as he sat down the can of glue he and Kotomi had purchased. "You look angry!"

"You guys left me here for HOURS! WHAT TOOK YOU SO DAMN LONG!?"

"Yoh-kun bought me ice cream~" Kotomi almost swooned, hands on her cheeks. "I said I was hungry and he said it was an apology for ignoring me in class, and then we ended up talking, and we got some more, and then we had to find a shop that was still open that sold glue…"

Yoh nodded in agreement. "And then the man at the grocery store gave me an orange! It was the best night ever…"

"OH, I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!"

"Manta~" Kotomi sang. "You should get a girlfriend!"

Manta sputtered, aghast. He was about to protest when Yoh suddenly spoke again.

"Anyway! Let's get started!"

"WHY ARE YOU TWO SO RANDOM!?"

"We're not random. You're just too easy to predict," Kotomi explained. "Hey hey, Yoh-kun. Which way does it go? Left? Right?"

"Umm…as long as it's fixed I don't think it matters! Let's do this!"

"'Kay! Then you put down the glue and I'll put the stone in place, 'kay?"

"Sounds good!"

"'Kay! Heave ho!"

"HEY!" Manta yelled, kicking his legs, still bound to the tree. "HURRY UP AND UNTIE ME!"

* * *

"Oh! How very kind of them!" exclaimed the spirit of a young woman dressed in a blue kimono. She materialized onto one of the tree branches, peering down at the teenagers below.

"They're not even doing it right though…" her companion, a burly man dressed in a white gi, commented as he materialized beside her on the branch.

The woman turned her eyes to her companion, then back to the tombstone below. "Oh…! You're right! It's completely sideways! Go tell them they're doing it wrong, Kuma-kun!"

The man was aghast. "What!? And go down there? No way! Until that thing's fixed I'm not going down there! What if _he_ comes back and find's it like that? Until I'm sure he's not going to make me a victim I'm not going down there!"

"Ehhh? What are you talking about silly?"

"You know…the Fiend!" he waved his hands around wildly, hoping to instil some of the fear he found was appropriate but she continued looking at him with doleful eyes.

"Now now…you shouldn't believe silly folktales!"

"You should start! You're making his tree your home!"

"This is Nature's tree, not the Fiend's!"

"Sure, sure…"

"Besides, there isn't a single evil spirit on this hill. If he wants to share my tree I'd be happy to sit and talk…"

Kuma-kun watched; becoming increasingly nervous as a far-away look took over the girl's eyes. "Um…are you sure you're alright, Atsumi-san?"

"Eh? Do I look pale?"

"Well, no, you look fine…but to want to talk to this guy…"

She giggled, waving one of her sleeves at him as though he had just told her a very amusing joke. "How bad can he be? I hear you ghosts whispering about him constantly, I'm sure he can't be _that_ horrid!"

"He killed _a thousand_ guys! In cold blood! I'm surprised those kids down there are still in one piece!"

"A-A thousand?!"

Now, _there_ was the response he had been looking for!

"Yes, yes!"

However, before he could break into an epic tale, Atsumi fell backwards off the tree branch, a flurry of blue fabric and black hair.

* * *

There was a sickening thud as something hit the ground, startling Yoh and his friends and causing Kotomi to shriek in terror and cling to him, almost tearing his shirt as she manoeuvred him so he was between her and whatever just fell.

"M-Maybe he doesn't like it?"

"It's totally twisted!" Manta snapped, ignoring Yoh's feeble attempt to explain the sudden noise. "Let's just go home!"

"Where is home again?" Kotomi asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Ugh…we'll see you tomorrow," the tiny boy said to Yoh before turning his head towards Kotomi. "Let's go, Kotomi!"

"Yoh-kun can't come have a sleepover…?"

"ABSOLUTETLY NOT!"

"Manta, you need a girlfriend…."

"We're leaving!!!!"

"Waiiii!!!!"

* * *

Sputtering, arms flailing, Atsumi managed to extract herself from the shrubbery that had broken her fall. As she brushed leaves from her clothing and hair she noticed that the teenagers had left.

"Is…Is it still wet…?" she wondered aloud as she approached the warped tombstone. If the glue wasn't dry, she should still be able to correct it. Steeling herself, she tried to lift the portion of the stone that was sideways and fell over for all her efforts. "Bad idea…very bad idea…!"

Kuma-kun was trying hard not to laugh. "Hey, you okay--"

"Atsumi…?" a soft voice whispered in the darkness.

Kuma-kun blinked, peering down. Below the tree he saw a tall man dressed in the traditional garb of a samurai, long violet hair pulled back into a ponytail. It was the Fiend!

Or, so he thought. He blinked once and the dangerous apparition seemed to have vanished.

"Haaaahhhhh?"

"Kuma-kun…! Help me up!"

"Right, right!" he dematerialized and rematerialized beside the girl and picked the stone off her. "God, you're always like this…"

Once she was erect and brushing off her clothes again, he risked looking back to where he thought he saw the Fiend. Just like he thought, no one was there.

Peculiar.

"Hm? What are you looking at?" she asked, taking the stone from him and putting it on correctly.

"I thought the Fiend was here."

"Hmm…well…you do look a little bit scared," she brushed past him and floated back up to tree branch she had occupied earlier. "Maybe you should take a break somewhere and stay clear of the hill."

"Huh? What about you?"

"I'll go make sure those kids are okay. It's pretty dark…"

"Huh? Yeah, of course! That's just like Atsumi-san!" he proclaimed as he faded away.

Now alone, Atsumi glanced over her shoulder at the obsidian tombstone, and the wooden marker beside it.

Jumping back down, she brushed a stray leaf off the top of the tombstone.

"I'll be back later…okay, Amidamaru?"

Just as quietly as she appeared, she left. The nearby tree whistled a sad tune as the wind blew and the same man Kuma-kun had seen re-appeared.

* * *

Yoh inhaled deeply. It was such a nice day. The sky was a rich, clear blue, the clouds pure white, the grass wasn't scratchy or too wet against his bare ankles, and the sun wasn't too bright, too warm or too dull, too cold…

"Yooohhhhhh-kunnnnnn~! Kotomi has a present for you! Ta-dah! It's the first press release of Bob Love's new single~!"

…and the angel's were singing "Hallelujah"…

"Ehhhhhh!? How did you get this!?"

"Fufufufu, Kotomi-sama has her ways~!"

"DID YOU GUYS HEAR ANYTHING I JUST READ!?"

Kotomi blinked before smiling and settling herself between Yoh and Manta. "Of course! 'Shana: the name of a sword and of its owner. The sword and owner both work for--'"

"I ASKED ABOUT SHAMANS!"

"Ohhh…well, whatever you were asking should be obvious! I mean, you've got two prime specimens right here!"

"I'LL HIT YOU!"

"EH!? You'd hit a girl!? I didn't know you were so horrible…!"

"You don't count as a girl…"

"YOH-KUN! MANTA SAID I DON'T HAVE BOOBS!"

Yoh gasped. "Manta! That's mean!"

"I know, right!? I mean, he didn't even measure a full meter during the health check! They had to bring in a new scale because the ruler wouldn't go that low! This is why you don't have a girlfriend, Manta!"

"CUT IT OUT WITH THE GIRLFRIEND STUFF!"

"But you need one! It'll get you to live a little!"

"Why did you two even come to Tokyo anyway!?"

"Because I wanted to annoy you~! OW!" Kotomi shielded herself with her arms as Manta struck her again and again with his book. "I was kidding! My Grandpa sent me! He said my future was here, and I wasn't getting anywhere back home so I figured 'What the heck, maybe I'll find a ghost here!'"

"Hey! I came to find a ghost too!"

"Really!? Yay! But I haven't had any luck yet…but I did find a very awesome shaman…"

"Ehhhh? Where!?"

"Right. Here~!" she sang, pressing a fingertip to Yoh's nose.

Yoh blushed, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Aw shucks…"

Manta rolled his eyes. Kotomi smiled. And Yoh was suddenly in front of Amidamaru's tombstone, holding out his hand towards the spirit.

"So, be my mate, Amidmaru!" he said.

"So suddenly!?"

"Wow, compliments really do cause miracles..."

"You're…asking me to be your mate?"

Yoh was still grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah! Your skills are amazing! With you as my spirit I…"

"I refuse," said Amidamaru as he stood. "It was only a coincidence that your goal was the same as mine. Besides that, I have no reason to help you. I have no intentions of leaving this place."

Yoh frowned as he watched Amidamaru disappear, back into his tombstone. That could have gone better…

"Don't cry, Yoh-kun!! Kotomi'll hug you!" Kotomi cried, clinging to him. "If I was dead I'd totally be your spirit! Don't take his rejection to heart! I'm sure there's a passionate love story behind this!"

"Um…NO…" Manta said.

"But…But…" Kotomi blinked, staring down at Manta. "'The Legend of Amidamaru and Kotoni'…it's THIS Amidamaru that's in it, right?"

"I doubt it! This Amidamaru is THE Fiend!"

"…sex fiend?"

"NO! He killed a thousand men! He disobeyed his Shogun!"

"Hmm…he must be really strong…I want him even more now!"

"Were you even listening?!"

"Hey hey! Apparently there's a little museum in the park that has Harusame, Amidamaru's legendary sword, on display!" Kotomi exclaimed; examining a small, yellow notebook she had produced out of nowhere.

"Tomorrow's Sunday, so why don't we play hooky with our chores and go check it out? Maybe we'll find a clue about Amidamaru's burning love story there!"

Yoh agreed to the plan without hesitation. This really could be a good chance to learn about Amidamaru, burning love story or not.

* * *

"Kuma-kun!" Atsumi chided the man lightly as she materialized behind him. "We shouldn't be spying on these children…I know you want to find information on the Fiend but…"

"That…pigtailed one is a retard…"

"Eh? How so?"

"She keeps talking about 'Amidamaru's burning love story' and how there's some love story called 'The Legend of Amidamaru and Kotoni' where she's from. She's acting like he's not a blood thirsty killer, but a grown man who still experiences romance like an awkward teenager!"

"Eh…? Amidamaru and Kotoni? Hoe~! That sounds so nice! I want to see this movie!"

Kuma-kun was starting to feel apprehensive. Atsumi and the female child were starting to seem more similar then he was comfortable acknowledging.

"I think it only exists in the girl's delusions," he said.

"Oh…but what if it's true? What if Amidamaru really is a grown man who's awkward when it comes to romance?"

"Well, of course he is! A guy who can kill 1000 people and not feel remorse can't be very good with the ladies."

"You shouldn't have said that! Now the spirit of Kotoni will come and haunt you!" Atsumi laughed at her own joke. Kuma-kun, on the other hand, was not amused. "Oh! Don't look now, but Amidamaru's right behind you! He looks very, very angry!"

Kuma-kun screamed in terror and disappeared.

"Just kidding~!"

Giggling still, Atsumi too disappeared.

* * *

"That wasn't funny, Atsumi-san!" Kuma-kun exclaimed as he reappeared later on when he had regained his composure. "But seriously…if he actually were here…I'd wonder what was wrong with him! Refusing that kid's offer…imagine…having a body again!"

"I'm not like you. I was not killed wrestling a bear. I'm not a fool who likes violence."

Kuma-kun nearly fell over. He hadn't noticed at all that Amidamaru was seated with his back against his tombstone and that Atsumi was no where to be found.

"Wha-What was that!? You…You heartless killer! You aren't one to talk!"

"Please don't dwell on that…I'm here to wait for someone…"

"Hah?"

"Which reminds me," Amidamaru turned his eyes on the man. They were sharp and cold. "Don't get any funny ideas because Atsumi-san is talking to you. She's like that with everyone. It does not mean she enjoys your company."

"Excuse me…?"

Amidamaru's gaze and tone of his voice grew sharper. "Don't start thinking you're special because she talks to you."

"I've known Atsumi-san for a good century now Fiend! You shouldn't talk like you know her better than I do! If given the chance you'd probably kill her off anyway you heartless man!"

"I never have and never will lay a finger on her. If I were still alive, I would gladly take my own life if I raised a hand against her."

"…You're some twisted freak, aren't you? But I suggest you keep away from her…She's crazy like a loon. Some kind of pacifist she is…she's the only one who doesn't say stuff about you!"

Amidamaru closed his eyes, his lips twisted into a soft smile. "Still the same as ever, aren't you Atsumi…"

"Are…Are you smiling…? Please don't hurt me…"

"Hm?"

"I'll do anything Fiend, sir…just stop smiling!"

"What are you…?"

"I'll…I'll stay away from Atsumi-san…promise!"

With that, Kuma-kun dematerialized and Amidamaru was left alone with only the starry sky above and his memories to keep him company.

* * *

"EHH!" Kotomi cried, as she saw Yoh and Manta through the view screen of her camera. "You guys aren't wearing casual clothing! Kotomi's disappointed!"

"I don't really have that many clothes…"

"And I don't really care."

"Booooo!"

"Besides, what about you? You're wearing a school uniform too! Albeit it's not ours…"

Kotomi looked down at the blue, sailor-styled uniform she wore. "This? It's cosplay!"

"…" Manta sighed. He would never understand this girl.

With the issues regarding wardrobes, more or less, settled the trio continued along the stone path towards the museum and were surprised and devastated when they arrived.

Affixed to the door was a closed sign.

"What?! It's closed!?" Manta was furious. He had reluctantly agreed to waste the morning of his one-and-only day off by accompanying the two transfer students to the museum, and they couldn't even go inside!

Yoh was much more good-natured than the furious Manta and the pouting Kotomi. "Guess we came here for nothing."

Suddenly the trio heard the sound of squealing breaks and turned to find an older man on a bicycle.

"What's wrong, you guys?" he asked. "Can I help you with something?"

* * *

"I'm sorry," Manta said as he watched the old man turn on the lights. "Even though it's closed…"

"You came with interest in the town's history. I couldn't just send you back."

"Um…" Yoh began, unsure how to phrase his question. "About the Harusame…"

"That's right," the man nodded and smiled. "The Harusame will be happy too."

The three teenagers exchanged a look behind the old man's back.

Soon the old man left them to fend for themselves(but not before voicing his belief that the reason Harusame cried at night was because Amidamaru himself was crying and he wished the sword was at Amidamaru's grave and not in the museum).

The three teenagers fell into silence as they sat on cushioned benches and waited for nightfall to come. Manta fell asleep with his book as a pillow, lulled by the soft music coming from Kotomi's Game boy.

They had no idea what was awaiting them when night fell. Would the Harusame really cry? Would they discover the cause was scientific and natural, or would they discover it was supernatural?

Only time would tell.

As the hours ticked away, Manta fell asleep using his book as a pillow, the sound of Kotomi's Game boy in the background. When he awoke, however, the videogame music was gone and instead there were loud rumbles.

By the time Manta had awakened the moon had risen, hanging over the building and casting moonlight through the windows.

Manta suppressed a shiver. The ambiance reminded him of a horror film.

The strange grumbling sound wasn't helping either.

"Yoh-kun? Kotomi? What's that noise?"

"We're hungry…get us some food Manta…" Kotomi ordered, rubbing her stomach.

"WHY ME?!"

"I spent my money on glue!" Yoh explained.

"I went to Akihabara and bought manga!"

A vein pulsed in Manta's forehead. "No food for you Koto-"

_Drip_.

"…to…"

_Drip_.

"…to…"

_Drip_.

"…mi…"

"It's started! There's tears!" Kotomi gasped, instinctively reaching for her video camera as a puddle slowly began to form underneath the display case containing the Harusame.

However, upon closer inspection, the ghost of a man became visible. He was sitting on top of the case, and it was he who was crying.

Manta flew into a panic. "IT'S SHOWN ITSELF!"

Startled, the man looked up. "W-What do you mean 'shown itself'? You guys can see me?"

Kotomi blinked. He looked…familiar…a little bit older…but familiar.

"Dai-kun?"

"No, my name's Mosuke. I'm a sword smith."

"Mosuke…?" Kotomi placed her index finger to her lip and mused. "Mosuke…Mosuke…"

"Mosuke?" Yoh grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "What an old sounding name!"

"It's a 600-year-old name!" Mosuke cried. "Of course it's old-"

"AH!" Kotomi cried, startling everyone. She had leapt to her feet and was pointing a trembling index at Mosuke. "THAT'S IT! YOU'RE MOSUKE! YOU'RE MIYUKI'S HUSBAND!"

Mosuke felt his jaw hit the floor. "Whaaaat?!"

"A-And you're Moeka and Maeka's father! You're _that_ Mosuke, aren't you!?"

"H-How did you…!?"

"I'm acquaintances with them…I guess you could say…"

"600 years ago…" Manta began, finally finding his voice again. "That's the same era as Amidamaru."

Again, Mosuke was surprised. "You know Amidamaru?"

"A little," Yoh clarified. "By the way, why are you haunting the Harusame? Isn't it Amidamaru's sword?"

"Did you make it, Mosuke?" Kotomi asked as she moved so she was standing closer to Yoh.

"Yes…Harusame…was forged by me."

"No way!" Manta cried. "Then Amidamaru…!"

"Yes, I know him well…" Mosuke gritted his teeth. "I was the one who killed him…"

"YOU KILLED THE FIEND!?"

"IDIOT!"

"GAH!" Manta cried, hiding behind the cushioned bench again.

"Don't…Don't call him that!" Mosuke begged, clutching at his head. "Don't you dare! He's…He's not like that!"

"I knew it~" Kotomi sang.

"Yeah," Yoh smiled. "We know he's not a bad guy. Mosuke, will you tell us what happened 600 years ago? How do you know Amidamaru?"

"He's…Amidamaru is…my best friend…"


	4. The End and Beginning of a Feudal Tale

(Ichigo: Here we are! A new chapter for you all to enjoy!

Orenji: Chapter 4 coming your way very soon...it's already written, after all!

Ichigo: Now, read, relax, enjoy and leave a review if you so please!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...if we did some things wouldn't have happened like they did.

* * *

Chapter 3: The End and Beginning of a Feudal Tale

The teens shared another look. He was the best friend of Amidamaru? It was unbelievable…and yet, they quietly listened as Mosuke began to tell them how he and Amidamaru came to be in the position they found themselves in today…

"We lived in hard times," Mosuke began. "War and famine everywhere…it was hell. A lot of people died back then…but we lived. We lived to make our dreams come true. Eventually, we found a shogun to work under. He was fond of Harusame, so we lived there for a while. But, after awhile, the Shogun grew greedy. He didn't want a sword better than Harusame to be made by me…so he sent Amidamaru to kill me."

Mosuke's words startled the teens. But, he didn't seem to notice, and instead continued on after taking a deep breath.

"He refused to do so. But, I couldn't just run away and let him accept the punishment for disobeying the shogun's orders! I had to give him the best sword I could possible make…we agreed to meet on the hill later that night…and that was the last time I ever saw him…that was the last night either of us saw each other…and our friends…"

_The moon was already well on it's way towards rising in the dark sky when Mosuke cautiously opened the door to the room he shared with his wife and two daughters. He had hoped, perhaps, to get a glimpse of them curled up asleep on their fotons before he left. To give himself courage, he told himself, not because he was worried he wouldn't see them again. _

_Instead, however, his two daughters were nowhere to be seen. Only his wife was in the room, and she wasn't asleep. Instead she was bustling around the rooms, gathering items. _

"_If you're looking for the girls, they're over at Atsumi and Amidamaru's. Atsumi's…well…you know," Miyuki explained as she hurried around the room, twisting her long dark green hair into a ponytail, still dressed in her sleeping yukata. "They're keeping an eye on her while I get the stuff Atsumi told me to…actually," she turned to face Mosuke. "Have you seen Amidamaru? Atsumi hasn't seen him since the sun set…"_

_Mosuke's eyebrows knit together, contemplating. Should we tell Miyuki what was going on? What he and Amidamaru were planning on doing? No…it'd be best if he kept this silent. It'd be best if the twins and Miyuki didn't know why he was running away, just as it was better for Atsumi not to know what might happen…_

"_No, no I haven't. But…I will go look for him," he added as an afterthought, hoping to avoid having Miyuki stumble across them or anything else that could be dangerous to her. _

_As he closed the door, he caught a glimpse of Miyuki's confused brown eyes. Quickly he turned and left, running towards the meeting place, the sword he had kept out of sight of the doorway in his arms. He had to end this quickly or…_

_It was as he was starting the climb up the hill that it happened with little warning. A slight rustle as the leaves of nearby bushes were disturbed, the soft _tap tap tap_ of straw sandals on the grass, a sudden searing pain across his back…_

_It was all over before he knew it. Such an incident as his death occurred in such a small amount of time, and left him with such profound regrets…_

_Mosuke considered it a miracle he could show his face, even in the afterlife, even when all those who cared about him and knew him were long gone…_

"Someone had spied on us and told the Shogun. His men got to me, and to Amidamaru as well. He became known as the Fiend for how fiercely he fought…but without Harusame, eventually he wore out and…" he sighed, bowing his head, fingers twining into his hair. "I don't even know what happened to the others…to Miyuki and…"

Kotomi bit her lip, wondering how best to phrase her thoughts and how much she should reveal. "Um…Miyuki-san safely made it down to Nara with Moeka-chan and Maeka-chan…"

Mosuke's head jerked up in surprise. "Really!?"

"Mm! They made it in one piece!"

Mosuke's face relaxed, relieved. "That's good…"

"So now that you know that," Kotomi smiled. "Why don't you take that sword back to Amidamaru?"

"W-What?! I can't do that! The Harusame's in such horrible shape!" he touched the glass case, which contained the tarnished sword. "My pride won't allow it! But…" he sighed. "I guess she's been waiting for him, so I shouldn't be like that…"

"You can use my body to fix the sword, Mosuke!" Yoh said, grinning.

"Sure you can handle it~?" Kotomi teased, playfully.

"Better than you can."

"Ah!!" Kotomi cried, as if in pain, clutching her hands over her heart. "My heart! It hurts! You've wounded it with your cruel, cruel words…!"

Mosuke stared, paling slightly. Somehow, he had a feeling his wife would hit him for associating with, what she would have called, 'such idiotic fools'.

Manta sweatdropped. "Mosuke-san…you look like you've seen a ghost."

Kotomi sniffed dramatically. "Maybe…he just doesn't like my acting?"

"WHO WOULD?!"

Yoh chuckled at his friends' antics, before he became composed and serious, ready to do what he said he could. "Mosuke! Spirit Ball Mode! Hyoui Gattai!"

"You there," Mosuke said, his voice mixing with Yoh's as it was channelled through the teen's body. "Take me the nearest smithy"

And that's just what Kotomi and Manta did.

* * *

"Eh…they're back again?" Atsumi peered down from her tree branch as she watched the three teenagers walk underneath the tree and towards Amidamaru and his tombstone.

"Ami-da-ma-ru~" Kotomi sang. "We have a present for you!"

"This is…" Amidamaru stared in shock as Yoh, unsheathed and revealed the sword to him. "This is the Harusame! Could it be you…!?"

"It was Mosuke," Manta clarified. "He's been in this world for 600 years…"

"It is…only he could have forged this sword…"

"'Sorry to have made you wait,' that's what he said before he passed on," Yoh explained, returning the sword to its sheath.

"He was too embarrassed to come with us…" Manta added.

Amidamaru started laughing, so hard that tears welled in the corner of his eyes. "That's exactly like him."

"Well…now you can follow him! We'll leave this here…bye now," Yoh placed the Harusame gently on the ground before walking away, hands in his pockets.

"Yoh!" Kotomi chased after him. "Let's get crepes this time! It's the season right!?"

"Sure!"

"What sweethearts," Atsumi murmured, sparkling as she watched the trio of teenagers walk down the stairs, chatting and joking as they went.

"How can you be okay with this!?" Manta cried, hurrying after the two taller teens. "Didn't you want him to be your partner?!"

"Well, yeah…it's a pity…but, nothing can compare to a ghost attaining enlightenment!"

"Except maybe an extra-large chocolate-banana crepe after a bowl of ramen~"

"Even better than that, Kotomi!"

"Ehhhhh? What do you know?"

"That helping people is better than food!"

"Maybe I'll believe you if you treat me!" she joked.

Manta was twitching as he listened to the argument. Just when he thought she might be a kind hearted girl, she does something to change his mind. Would he ever understand this girl?

"Hey…I found you brats…"

Pulled out of their little world, the trio looked down at the bottom of the stairs and saw none other than Ryu of the Wooden Sword standing at the foot of them, his Regent-styled hair-cut only a quarter of it's size thanks to the incident with Yoh and Amidamaru that had occurred not long ago.

"Yo!" Yoh greeted pleasantly with a smile, while Manta was shocked by Ryu's appearance and Kotomi stared at Ryu's new hair-do.

"'Yo!' MY ASS! Because you messed up my hair-do, I'm the laughing stock of town-no, the world! I'll return the favour!" he slid his right foot back, brandishing his signature wooden sword, readying to strike. "Prepare yourself!"

"Ehhh? But weren't you before?" Kotomi asked, not doing the smart thing and running…and instead saying more than what was necessary and getting into trouble…her speciality. "You look more normal now!"

"I don't have a problem with you, girlie. So just go home and bake a cake or something…"

"My mom won't let me cook…"

"Ugh! Just go away then!" he said, charging, planning to strike.

He didn't intend to harm her, simply hoping to scare her away. What he didn't expect was for her to catch the sword in her hand…and Kotomi didn't expect Atsumi to catch it before she did…

"What are you doing, Ghost-chan?" Kotomi asked after Ryu pulled his sword from their grip and continued his chase after Yoh and Manta…his action oblivious to both girls.

"You were off guard…he's so tall, he could have easily hit a major pressure point in your shoulder…and with your short stature, and the force he was striking with, it would have easily hurt you…"

A vein sprouted on Kotomi's forehead. She hated when people commented on her height. As if she needed to be reminded that she was only 4'9".

"I'm not that small!" she insisted, despite her thoughts.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Kotomi blinked, startled. "I-It's okay…"

"O-Oh…I…um…I'm sorry…!" she stuttered, disappearing just as suddenly as she came.

Kotomi blinked. That had been…strange…

On the other hand, she didn't have the time to reflect on this…Yoh and Manta needed her help!

With that, she turned and hurried up the stairs.

* * *

"Kuma-kunnnn!" Atsumi cried, glomping the spirit, tears in her eyes. "The girl screamed at me!"

"Are you 24 or 8…?"

"Neither!!!" she sniffled. "I don't like it when people yell at me…and-and, I thought I could be friends with her…but I was horrible and made her angry! Now you're my only friend! That's why I'm crying!"

"You can still be friends with her even if she's angry with you…just apologize to her."

"I didn't say anything mean!" she insisted.

"You called her short, didn't you?"

"I said that because she was small she could easily get hurt a lot because he's so abnormally huge!"

"Then…why don't you explain that to her?"

"No way!!"

The trio of teenagers sweatdropped, watching Atsumi's antics from the tree. After Ryu had been defeated, now for a second time, they had noticed Atsumi's crying voice…but they decided not to comment on it.

Somehow, they'd probably make things worse…

"You decided to stay behind, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, turning to the ghost who had appeared behind him.

"Yes, even though I would like to follow Mosuke…it seems it will be awhile before I can go to the other world…"

Yoh swallowed, barely able to believe what he was hearing. "Does that mean…?!"

Amidamaru nodded, "Yes."

A broad grin spread across Yoh's face, and a small smile spread across Amidamaru's. It was the beginning of a beautiful partnership and friendship.

Though, one that would encounter its fair share of trails and tribulations…their very first occurring sooner than they thought it would…


	5. Dangerous Visitors

(Ichigo: Chapter 4, ready to go!

Orenji: Enjoy, everyone! Read and review! Chapter 5 will be up before you know it!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...but we wished we did...

* * *

Chapter 4: Dangerous Visitors

It was a peaceful night, the kind that is remembered for a long time. Seated on a branch of the mighty tree in the cemetery, Atsumi sighed.

"Ah...watching the stars...it's so calm and peaceful..." she sighed again. "It's so nice up here..."

"Isn't it?"

The dark-haired girl looked down from her perch to find a young teenager standing underneath the tree, a portion of her knee-length, dark-blue hair pulled back behind her head and secured with a lavender ribbon, hands tucked behind her back, her eyes brown, her crisp school uniform yellow.

"Do you like the stars?" the new girl asked with a kind smile.

"Very much so! You're a new face around here, have we met?"

"Oh, no! I just moved here a couple days ago! My name's Hotaru! What's yours? Can I know?"

"Oh?" the ghost was surprised. "It's been quite awhile since anyone's wanted to know my name, but I can't deny the curious. It's Atsumi!"

"Atsumi?" Hotaru said, testing her tongues ability to say the syllables. "_Atsu_ for a warm person, and _mi_ for a beautiful face! Your name suits you perfectly! "

"Hey..." Hotaru was more quiet now, uncertain. "Can I ask you something, Atsumi-chan? I-If I can call you that, of course!"

Atsumi smiled. "You can call me whatever you want, and what can I do for you?"

"You see..." Hotaru shuffled from foot to foot, staring down at her sepia coloured loafers.

"There's some bad people after me and my friend...that's why we're here. I was hoping you'd help us out, they're shamans so they can see you, but they won't listen to us, could you..."she raised her head, tears swimming in her gold eyes.

"Could you please come with us? Just for a little while? We...we don't have any ghosts to help us. I'm scared they'll hurt my friend again! He just got out of the hospital!"

"What?!" Atsumi was appalled. "Do they know he was hospitalized?! And...why would shamans be after other shamans!? Especially such a nice one like you!"

"I don't know! I really don't know! I wish I did!" her voice was rising to a hysterical pitch, her words tumbling out of her mouth faster and faster. "I don't know why'd they want to hurt us!" she jumped when the bushes nearby rustled. "It's too dangerous to talk her! Please, will you come with us? Even just for a little while! If you don't want to get involved you can leave, promise!"

Atsumi balked at the idea of leaving. "But...why me?"

"I saw you help that girl the other night. I know you're kind and resourceful. Please, just come and meet my friend, he's waiting for me by the gate. If you don't think we're worth helping after you meet him, you can come right back here! I promise!"

Atsumi frowned. "Every soul should be allowed help..."she thought. "Especially when they request it...but, should I bring myself into this? The others wouldn't want me being so risky...but a request for help is a request for help regardless!"

"Of course I'll help you!" the ghost finally said.

Hotaru's face light up with a beatific smile at the news. "Really!? Oh, thank you! Come on!"she said, leading the way down the stone steps. "This way!"

* * *

"You're very gullible...has anyone ever told you that?" she smiled, turning to face Atsumi. "But that's okay, the gullible make good tools. Say goodbye to the stars..."

The next moment Atsumi was sealed away inside the tablet, and for her, everything went dark…and her mind blank…

* * *

Hot.

If there was one word that could describe that day, it would be that very word…

In Tokyo all the windows, metal, and concrete, reflected the sunlight and heated everything up to a not-so-cozy 30 degrees Celsius. It was not the kind of weather many would consider taking an extended walk in. So, it was definitely not the type of weather to walk around in for HOURS on a wild goose chase looking for a ghost no one seems to know about…or if they did know about her they didn't feel like sharing

Which, unfortunately, is exactly what three Shinra Junior High students, two of them shamans and one a severely underdeveloped human, had been doing all day…and by the time Kotomi and Manta came to rest on a park bench, they had zero results.

"So now that we've given up the wild goose chase…" Manta said as he turned his attention to what he considered to be more pressing matters. "I saw someone just like you last night, Yoh-kun."

"What!? That can't be possible! I don't have a twin brother!"

"Not like a twin brother…"

"Then a twin sister!?"

"That's not it, I meant someone with the same aura as you."

"Ohhhhh…the same aura, eh?"

"But…" Kotomi protested, adding in her two cents. "People are supposed to have different auras. It's supposed to be distinct, like a finger print. Even twins have different auras!"

Manta sighed, slumping against the bench. "Who cares…this is getting tiring…what are you doing Yoh-kun?"

"I'm fighting the heat!"

"Ehh…" Kotomi watched as Yoh swing his fists at an invisible target. "So that's what you're doing…"

"It's great!" Yoh said, sounding more and more like an advertiser on TV the more he spoke. "It's futile to try and sit around and let the heat get the best of you! You have to fend it off by fighting it!"

"Oh…I see…I thought you were doing Shaman training," said Manta.

"Now that you mention it…I haven't done that in a long time!"

"Are…are you sure that's alright?"

"Of course it's alright!" Kotomi clapped Manta on the back as she spoke, nearly sending the boy tumbling to the ground. "Training is overrated!"

"You should try too!" Yoh said to Manta as Kotomi joined him in his heat escaping exercise. "You can't be happy with yourself until you've tried it!"

Manta sighed, shaking his head at the hopelessness of his two closest friends. "I don't understand you two at all, but you seem happy an-"

_Thud!_

"GAH! Yoh-kun! What's wrong!? Yoh-kun!!"

"YOH! DON'T DIE!!!"

* * *

_Glug. Glug. Glug. Thud!_

"AHHHH! I feel alive again!"

"It's because when you do stuff like that you get dehydrated…" Manta explained, eyeing the empty pitcher.

"You should've said you were thirsty, Yoh! You scared me!"

Yoh looked at his two friends, rubbing his head apologetically. "Eheheh…I'm sorry!"

"Well…" Kotomi drawled the word as she playfully knocked Yoh on the head. "You did help me decide what to buy you guys in repayment for helping me look for that girl…so I guess it's okay."

"Speaking of," Manta eyed the dishes of shaved ice. "You'll get sick if you eat two of those!"

Yoh smiled, extracting a black object from inside his jacket. "One is for him."

Manta was appalled. "That's a mortuary tablet! It's not good to bring things like that from home! Mortuary tablets are meant to honour your ancestors' sleeping grounds!"

"He is, sorta…just not his ancestors, per say…and besides," Kotomi said, eating a spoonful of shaved ice before waving the utensil at Manta. "You can't get sick off shaved ice; it's like getting sick on water!"

"So!? All that sugar and water can't be good for you in the long run!"

"Neither can being so high-strung…"

Yoh smiled. "While you two argue, let's eat them before they melt, 'kay?"

"'Kayyyyy!"

"Thank you very much," Amidamaru said as he appeared from the tablet startling Manta.

"Now that Amidamaru and I are friends, I like to go everywhere with him," Yoh explained.

"At this size I can get around easily, it's very convenient."

"Convenience, huh…?" Kotomi murmured distractedly, most of her attention going to sneaking Manta's dish of uneaten shaved ice across the table to replace her eaten one.

Manta slapped her hand away. "NO!"

"Ow!"

"I don't need an alarm clock," Yoh said, sounding as though he was going into a sales pitch. "He'll wake me up using sleep paralysis. When I'm lost, he helps me find my way. If some guy threatens me, I'm not scared at all. At night it's scary to go to the bathroom, so he follows me there."

"That sounds like fun," Manta commented afterwards.

"Ehh…alarm clock, huh? Not getting lost, huh? Sounds nice…" Kotomi said in a dreamy, far away voice. "I always get yelled at in the morning because my alarm wakes up the neighbour's son and not me, then Manta and Sensei yell at me for being late…"

"Yeah, you need a spirit even more then Yoh-kun does!"

"I know! That's why I wanted to find that girl. But she's nowhere to be found!"

"I take it you lose your way often, Kotomi-dono?" Amidamaru asked politely.

Manta laughed. "You don't know the half of it! It took her two weeks to figure out the way to school and during that time she accidentally ended up in the boys' change room during gym class and it took her two hours to get out! She always follows me to the train station at night, she's always late…it's like she was born without a sense of time or place!"

"Ahaha…that's why I wanna find that Shamanic ghost girl…" Kotomi scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Hearing Yoh talk about how helpful Amidamaru is, it seems like a good idea. Better then what my sister suggested. Which is to get a boyfriend…"

"Huh? Shamanic ghost?"

"Ohhhhh!" Yoh was listening intently now. "I heard of those! They're the ghosts of shaman who passed away. They can still interact with the living world just like how shaman's can with the world of the dead!"

"Exactly! They're really rare!"

Manta sighed. "What makes you think that some girl-who, by the way, remains nameless- would even want to be your spirit ally, _if_ by some miracle we find her?"

"Jeez! You never thought that Amidamaru would agree to be Yoh's! My chances can't be that bad!"

"Mm!" Yoh said with a nod. "I think she sounds nice. And if she helped out someone she didn't know, why wouldn't she help someone who does?"

"Exactly!" Kotomi said as she stood to pay.

Manta heaved another sigh. "You two are hopeless…"

"If being hopeless means not being a worry-wart…I'll stay this way…"

"HEY!"

"Now, now…don't fight you guys…"

* * *

"YOU GUYS!!!"

"Hunh?" Kotomi blinked blearily as Manta violently shook her desk and in turn woke her up. "What's up with you?"

"Yoh-kun, Kotomi! You won't believe what happened-" Manta trailed off as he noticed the just arrived Yoh already preparing to sleep. "You just got here!"

"It's a daily thing~"

"Ahh…you're a meanie…" Kotomi whined as she shook Yoh's desk. "C'mon! Manta woke me up to listen to him! Don't leave me alone!"

"Forget about that! There's another Shaman and he's in town!"

"Ehh? That's great and all…but I never said there weren't more shaman…there's Kotomi, remember?"

"Well…yeah…but…"

"…You're thinking, 'She doesn't really count" aren't you!?" Kotomi accused, glaring daggers.

"A-Ahaha…e-either way! He said something about a Shaman King!"

That caught Yoh's attention. "Shaman King?"

* * *

"Tao Ren? Never heard of him."

"But he must know you! Otherwise why would he have said there should only be one Shaman?"

"Even if you tell me that, if I don't know then I don't know." Yoh explained, calmly.

"I don't know either, sorry!"

Manta couldn't believe this. "C'mon, you two! This could be something important! We need to I.D. these people before we get to the scene of the crime!"

"Manta-kun…shouldn't you let the police take care of this? We're not C.S.I either…"

"But you guys are shamans! Isn't there some sort of…moral obligation to make sure your brethren don't destroy public property!?"

Kotomi looked thoughtful. "I don't know…must've missed that class…"

Manta sighed. He was thankful for the shade the buildings provided as they finally entered the heart of the city, but the concrete served as equilibrium and made the effect of the shade null and void. "That's just great…"

"Oh…but I remember Jii-chan saying something about the Taos…" Kotomi said, looking up at the sky being eclipsed by the skyscrapers.

That did it. "YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T KNOW!"

"I just remembered! Calm down! All I remember is that the Taos are one of the few clans left in China. You should know me by now, Manta. As if I pay attention."

"Well…I guess knowing they're Chinese is better then nothing…"

"Based on Manta-dono's story, the spirit is likely a Chinese warrior so the shaman being Chinese as well would make sense…"

"Gah!!!" Manta jumped, surprised by the spirit's appearance. "Amidamaru!"

"This is very interesting," Amidamaru continued. "How was his skill?"

Kotomi sweatdropped. "Still got a fighting spirit even in death, huh?"

Manta sweatdropped as well. "Guess so...but anyway, what was this Shaman King he was talking about?"

"Oh!" Kotomi seemed excited. "I remember asking this when I was just you size, Manta!"

"…"

"I-It's just…I couldn't remember how old I was…b-but I was your height so…e-eh…Manta…why do you have the Manjien….?"

_BANG!_

"OW! OW! OW!"

It seemed Manta had found a use for the Manjien other then looking things up with it: it was great for beating people.

* * *

"A Shaman King is the person who is friendly with the King of Spirits," Yoh explained as they waited at a crosswalk for a green light.

"There's a King of spirits? There seems to be a king for everything…"

"There is! There's even a king of burgers!" sensing Manta's mounting anger Kotomi scampered to Yoh's other side, using the boy as a shield, one hand protecting her bumps from earlier. "Please don't hit me again!"

"Can't we just make her mouth disappear!?" Manta screeched.

"Now, now…place nice you two…"

"Yohhhhhhh!" Kotomi sniffled dramatically. "Manta doesn't love me anymore!"

"See? You made her cry!" Yoh said, joining in on the dramatics. "Say sorry!"

"No way!" said Manta, turning to look across the street and spotted two familiar faces. "Ah! That's him! Tao Ren and that girl too!"

"Eh!?"

Yoh and Kotomi turned to look and sure enough, there they were, looking at them with identical smirks that left the impression that this meeting would not be a pleasant one…


	6. The Hidden Sides

(Ichigo: New chapter's up! It was fun finding out the names for different sword lengths since...well, you'll see.

Orenji: Enjoy the chapter! Remember to review!)

Disclaimer: We don't own anything...except for the crazy fight scene and the OCs.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Hidden Sides

Eyes affixed on the other group across the street, they started moving towards each other when the walk light flashed to green. They stopped when they met in the middle of the street. The crowd didn't seem to notice or care that a group of teenagers had randomly stopped in the middle of the street, they simply parted around them and kept walking.

"Yo!" Yoh greeted cheerily, raising a hand to wave. As usual, he was facing uncomfortable situations with a smile.

The boy and girl in yellow and black school uniforms were smiling as well, though their smiles weren't friendly, especially the boy's. His lips were twisted into a smirk, one that seemed to indicate a belief that he was superior.

"Hmm…at least he has a good tool…do you know how to use it?" he asked, smirk widening.

"It's doubtful," the girl said, eyeing them critically. "He doesn't seem too bright."

"What does using people have to do with intelligence?" Kotomi inquired, raising an eyebrow. She didn't quiet understand what they were talking about…but she knew it wasn't a good thing.

"'People?' Ren and I are talking about ghosts, though…" the girl clarified, her eyes flickering from Kotomi's face to Amidamaru's.

Yoh noticed where her gaze fell and frowned. "You better rephrase that if you're referring to him. Amidamaru is my friend."

Ren, the boy, started laughing as if what Yoh just said had been riotously funny. "Did you hear that, Bason, Hotaru? _A friend?_"

Yoh's frown deepened and his eyebrows furrowed, "It wasn't supposed to be funny."

"But it _is_!" Hotaru said in-between giggles, joining in with Ren. Only Bason and Yoh's party stayed silent.

"You have a sick sense of humour," Kotomi finally said, eyes narrowing into a glare. She was really starting to dislike them.

"I don't think so," Hotaru smiled. "And neither does anyone here."

"There isn't anyone else here," Manta cried.

Hotaru pursed her lips. "Eh? How rude…Bason is here, and so is Atsumi…though she's keeping to herself. I don't think she wants to see you guys."

"Can you blame her?" Ren asked. "They're embarrassing to shamans."

"Hey!!" Kotomi was insulted. They weren't just cocky, they were also rude. "What do you know?!"

"We're going to be late for dinner if we don't hurry," Hotaru told Ren after glancing at her wristwatch.

"…Are you ignoring me?"

"Yes," said a third voice, a woman's.

Atsumi had materialized beside Hotaru.

"I-It's you!" Kotomi gasped, pointing her index at Atsumi. "You're that ghost from the cemetery! The one who always hangs around with that wannabe bear wrestler!"

"Regardless," Atsumi spoke loudly in order to cut Kotomi off before she said anymore. "They don't have to speak with you if they don't see fit to."

"T-That's not the problem here! What are you doing with them!?"

Atsumi's face broke into a smirk that caused Kotomi and the others to feel a chill down their spines. That smirk definitely did not suit her.

"I'm her spirit," Atsumi said. "I'm with them because I'm her spirit. It's my job."

"…What the…? What did you guys do to her!?"

"We didn't do anything. We're simply using her the way it was intended."

"Exactly," Ren added. "She came with us of her own free will. She wanted to 'help' us. Which I can understand, it must be boring sitting around in a cemetery filled with human spirits when you're a shaman like her."

"T-That's…"

"Anyway," Hotaru said, cutting Kotomi off. "If you don't have anything else to say, we're leaving."

"Hmphf," Atsumi rolled her eyes. "I doubt oafs like them would be able to muster a word, anyway."

"Now now," Ren chided softly, though his smirk showed that he didn't actually dislike what she was saying. "No need to be so rude. You'll have to deal with having that tool around soon enough."

Atsumi sighed. "Then I'll enjoy the peace and quiet while I can…"

"Atsumi…" Amidamaru murmured softly, speaking for the first time.

"Don't," Atsumi snapped, glaring at him coldly, as she floated past him, following Hotaru and Ren. "I'm not the same weakling that would fall for a crack like that, Amidamaru."

Stunned, Amidamaru bowed his head.

"D-Don't listen to her!" Kotomi cried, panicking. She was worried Amidamaru was going to cry or something similar. "They brainwashed her! She's drugged or something! She's definitely not herself…she ran away crying when I raised my voice at her, after all!"

"Amidamaru hangs out with weirdoes like her?!" Manta asked in shock.

"She's…she's not 'weird'!" Amidamaru insisted. "She's…a very nice and kind person…"

Yoh blinked up at Amidamaru as they hurried onto the sidewalk as car horns began sounding. "She totally snubbed you just now, though."

"She…was nice when we were alive…"

"Don't worry! I'm telling you, she's been brainwashed!" Kotomi insisted.

"Whoa whoa whoa…" Yoh cried suddenly. "Wait a minute, wait a minute…I know her! That's the lady who hangs around the big tree in the Cemetery. Always hangs around with Kuma-kun! Let's get her back to normal! She really is nice!"

Manta was shocked again. "A lady like that is with a burly man like Kuma-kun? Jeez…I guess we should take her back to him, then…"

"She's just his friend!" Amidamaru insisted, so strongly the three teens stopped walking. "She was lonely so she started talking to him!"

"You sure?" Yoh blinked. "They hang out with each other all the time."

"I'm sure…there are no romantic feelings involved…"

The three teens could only look at the samurai ghost as he floated there, depressed yet so fired up when it comes to the subject of Atsumi and another man…

Suddenly it all clicked in Kotomi's head. "Hooooo? Good job Ami-tan! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"'Ami-tan?' W-What do you mean?"

"And here you were making us think that you're a good, virginal samurai as pure as the driven snow!"

"Whoa whoa, there's no way that's possible!"

"Why not!?" Kotomi protested, almost sounding outraged that Manta didn't believe it. "He was awfully upset when she snubbed him!"

"Look…" Manta explained patiently. "I don't think a guy like Amidamaru would be into that sort of thing. Besides, she's definitely interested in that bear guy…"

"You don't know the first thing about romance, Manta!"

"I know there's no way Amidamaru could be involved with that girl!"

"If you keep talking like that you'll never grow!" Kotomi snapped before looking back at Yoh. "Anyway, we gotta go save her! I'll go home, get my katana, and we'll slice our way to victory!"

There was a moment of stunned silence at Kotomi's proclamation. She looked so confident and eager to fight, her hands curled into fists and punching the air, chanting what could be a victory song. She stopped when Manta started laughing hysterically.

"W-What?! I _am_ from a shaman family, remember!? My family's super old-school, too! If you can't arrange a vase of flowers or land a strike on a training dummy, you'd be without dinner for the night!"

"Well…" Yoh scratched at his neck looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, but…"

"Look," Manta decided to lay things out in such a simple, matter-of-fact way that even Kotomi could understand it. "You may be from a shaman family, but you're just like a regular person when you don't have a spirit, right? That girl has a huge advantage!"

Kotomi blinked, and then a look of comprehension crossed her face. And then the anger hit.

"Are you doubting my awesome fighting skills, Oyamada Manta?!" she yelled, sending the midget flying backwards with the voice of her voice. Huffing, she crossed her arms. "Besides, if that girl uses Hyoi Gattei, it's technically Atsumi fighting! Atsumi's a crybaby, I bet she's never thrown a punch before!"

Yoh looked even more uncomfortable. "W-Well, actually…I've seen her take down Kuma-kun when she gets angry enough…"

A brief look of fear flashed across Kotomi's face. Hastily, she raised a hand and began waving it at Yoh, trying to look like she was simply laughing it off and wasn't worried at all. "W-What? No way! You sure she didn't just catch him off guard!? Anyway! If I don't at least try to help a little it'll be two-against-one, right Yoh? You'd stand no chance!"

"I-I guess its okay…" Yoh stuttered, backing up a little at Kotomi's pointed glare. He wasn't good with dealing with girls…especially since he's had lots of experience dealing with the wrath of woman first hand. "I mean…it's not like Atsumi knows how to fight, right?"

"I'd say ask Amidamaru, but he wouldn't know," Manta shrugged, not noticing Yoh relaxing.

As long as Amidamaru gave a satisfactory answer, he didn't have to worry about being thrown.

"I've never seen her fight before," Amidamaru explained. "She enjoyed tending to the ill and injured more than causing such injuries."

"See! We'll be fine! I'll just keep Ribon-chan busy while you take care of Spikey, Yoh!"

"Kay! Tag team! Operation: Beat the Mean Shamans!"

"YEAH!!" Kotomi cried, pumping the air with her fists, her nervousness at Atsumi's supposed prowess completely gone.

"But…how will we find them?" Amidamaru wondered out loud. "We can't defeat them if we don't know where they are."

At Amidamaru's words, reality came crashing down on Kotomi and she looked sheepish. "A-Ah…"

"Somewhere where they can see the stars…" Manta murmured softly.

Kotomi frowned. "The cemetery…?"

"Yeah!" Yoh was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Good thinking, Manta! But before that…" he trailed off as his stomach growled. Sheepishly, he smiled and patted it. "Let's grab something to eat! I'm starving!"

"Ohhhhh? What are we getting!?" Kotomi chattered excitedly, following Manta down the sidewalk. "Okonomiyaki!?"

Manta blinked. They weren't in Kyoto or somewhere similar, and while he was sure there was an okonomiyaki store, he wasn't sure if it would meet a Kansai native like Kotomi's expectations.

"L-Let's just go to the Wadnalt by your house, Kotomi," he suggested.

She blinked down at him. "Eh? I have a Wadnalt by my house?"

Manta sweat dropped. "Yeah…it's by the train station."

"I've never noticed…"

Manta rolled his eyes. She really _did_ have no sense of time or place. "Let's just go!! Hurry up, Yoh-kun!!"

Yoh smiled, having enjoyed watching his two friends bicker a little. He liked peace and quiet, but their playful banter was something he had become accustomed too.

"Yoh!!"

"Ah! Yeah, I'm coming!" he reassured them hastily, hurrying to catch up with the two other teens where they stood waiting for him.

* * *

"Here you go!" Yoh said as he passed around everyone's burgers, including one for Amidamaru. It was only after he had taken a large bite of his burger that he noticed Amidamaru had a grim expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"That boy…and his spirit, Bason. They both have immeasurable power and the scent of danger. Just like during my time, they have the scent of war on them, the scent of death."

Yoh swallowed his bite and looked down at his burger, as though disappointed in how it tasted. "All this bad talk is spoiling my food…let's talk about something happier."

As if on cue, Kotomi started some cheerful dinner banter. "Oh oh oh, do you have a TV, Yoh? Did you watch Makoto last night!? Oh! Or do you like computer games!? I can bring my laptop to school one day! I have some games I think you'd like!"

"TV…? Computer…?" the samurai blinked in confusion. Quickly, he shook his head, riding himself of his thoughts. "No! We can't discuss trivial things at the moment! This is a serious matter!"

Yoh sighed, forcing himself to take another bite of his burger. He needed something in his stomach or he'd pass out. "This is so annoying. Without caring about anyone else, he just says, 'I'll be waiting for you, Asakura Yoh.' But, I can't ignore that…" he stuffed the last third of the burger into his mouth, chewed, swallowed and than gave Amidamaru a beaming smile. "Besides, I have you, right?"

"Don't forget," Manta pipped in, his barely eating burger in his lap. "There's also the girl controlling Atsumi-san…Hotaru, or something."

"Urg! I can't believe that girl!" Kotomi squeezed her burger in her hands tightly, not seeming to notice some of the ketchup had seeped out from underneath the bun from the force. "I just wanna grab her hair and pull it! How could anyone treat a ghost that way!?"

"If she's a shamanic ghost…we should be able to snap her out of it, right?" Yoh grinned, placing a hand on Kotomi's head, ruffling her hair slightly like she was a small child.

"Yeah…" Kotomi sighed, calming down. "After all…she's still about as human as we are. She's dead and she can touch the living, and we're alive but we can touch the dead. Apparently that makes them harder to control…that's why not a lot of people have shamanic ghosts as their main spirits."

"Well, if she's being controlled…" Yoh paused as he tossed his crumbled burger wrapper into the nearby trash can. "Maybe there's something we can do to spark a memory that would bring her back?"

"Then…" Kotomi looked to her right at Amidamaru. "Amidamaru, what's an important memory for her? Something that would remind her of what's really important…"

"Probably something from when we were young and we all lived together…Atsumi, Mosuke, Miyuki and I…"

"Wait…" Kotomi held up a hand to stop him. "She knows Miyuki?"

He blinked. "Yes…?"

"GAH! Why didn't you tell me earlier!?" she tossed Yoh her burger, and pulled out her cell-phone and began checking something on it, all the while oblivious to Yoh's fumbling as he tried to not drop the dinner that was suddenly thrown his way. "Damnit…it's like 7 A.M. in the States right now…I can't call her…tch."

"Call? Who are you referring to?"

"Ah…it doesn't matter…" annoyed, Kotomi returned her phone to her pocket, snatched back her burger and proceeded to devour it. "We'll figure something out!"

"You'd think Amidamaru would be good enough…unless…" Manta eyed Amidamaru suspiciously. "Did you do something to make Atsumi-san angry at you?"

"I…I was never able to say goodbye to her…I've seen her a few times in the cemetery, but I've been afraid to talk to her."

"Okay then! We'll beat up Ren, and theeeen…you can go talk to her!"

"I-It's not as simple as that!"

"Yoooh!" Kotomi grinned, poking his ribs. "You've never talked to a girl you like, right? It's not that easy!"

"Whoa! Amidamaru, you never told me you had a crush on her! No wonder Kuma-kun's scared of you!"

Amidamaru simply turned a deep shade of read causing Kotomi to coo, "Aww! So cute~! So awkward~!"

"Alright!" Yoh slapped his cheeks and stood up. "Let's go save her!"

"RIGHT ON!"

* * *

They arrived at the cemetery an hour later, and not a moment too soon. Ren had been about to dispatch Ryu of the Wooden Sword when they arrived, his attempt thwarted when Yoh grabbed the end of Ren's weapon.

"You're a dangerous guy," Yoh said, his tone cold.

Ren smirked, pulling his weapon free from Yoh's grip. "You came, after all."

Yoh smiled in Ryu's direction. "Stay back for awhile, alright?"

Hotaru frowned. "You guys actually came?"

"Of course!" Kotomi gripped her long sword tightly in her arms. "We're here to save Atsumi!"

Atsumi sighed. "I don't know why you think you have to save me."

"Because you're not acting like yourself! Even Amidamaru thinks so!"

"But…" Atsumi continued as though she hadn't heard the young girl. "If you really here to fight, I guess it's okay…"

Kotomi's eyes widened as Atsumi pulled a weapon from the bag that she kept hidden in her obi. "Eh? A dagger? No…a tanto? You really are a samurai's wife, aren't you!?"

"Pfft, I'd rather die."

"Why…?"

"Hmm…I don't know. Why don't you ask him?"

"Why can't you answer!?"

"I don't have to answer to a pathetic little shaman like you, now do I?"

Kotomi recoiled slightly, stunned. "You don't have to stoop so low as to spout insults! They've got you brainwashed!" she jerked her head slightly to the left and glared at Hotaru. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"I don't need to answer anything," she retorted.

"Fine…I'll…I'll beat it out of you then…" Kotomi drew her sword from its sheath.

"Can you even handle that?" Hotaru asked, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. The sword's blade was longer than a regular katana by ten centimetres. A difference that didn't seem that great at first, however, because of Kotomi's short stature, it appeared made for someone taller, or, at the very least, made thinking she would grow into it.

"Your midget spikey boyfriend can handle his, can't he?"

"D-Don't call him that!"

"Make me!"

"Ren handles it because he has a spirit ally," Atsumi explained while Hotaru and Kotomi glared at each other as sparks began to fly.

"Eh!?" Hotaru snapped out of it, whipping her head around to look at Atsumi. "That's not true! He can use it all on his own!"

"Whatever you say…"

Kotomi blinked. Were they fighting? If they were, that means their bound wasn't very strong and could be more easily broken.

"Urgh! Whatever! Let's just get this fight over with! We're supposed to be watching a movie! Stupid Renren-chan…he promised…"

"I agree…" Atsumi transformed into a Spirit Ball mode. "Let's get this over with."

Quickly, Kotomi guarded with her sword, as Hotaru performed Hyoui Gattai and Atsumi's furyoku caused the tanto's blade to extend until it was the size of Kotomi's sword.

Then, before Kotomi had time to realize what was happening, Hotaru and Atsumi had rushed forward, and struck her with enough force to send her flying through the air, skidding along the ground until she came to stop when she crashed into a tombstone.

Da-Damn it, Kotomi thought as she struggled to get back onto her feet. This is nothing like the sparring matches back home…

Atsumi grinned, almost as if she knew what Kotomi was thinking. "Hmm, having a samurai--or whatever you want to call him--for a father must have made it easy to do some of the simple slashes and charges, huh? Silly girl…you let a few wins go to your head…Now, would you rather I knock you unconscious or watch you bleed? Your choice."

"N-Neither!" Kotomi stuttered, bracing her sword again and spitting some dirt out of her mouth. It'll…It'll be you guys being knocked down!"

Hotaru almost laughed. "What? You? You're just a little girl! You can't even stop shaking after we pushed you to the ground!" Sure enough, the blade of Kotomi's sword was jerking as the arms that held it trembled with the rest of her body. "Who are you trying to impress? We both know you're not ready for this…"

Kotomi jerked, eyes widening and the colour draining from her eyes, her expression becoming that of someone caught in a lie, her trembles becoming more profound until she was barely able to stand. Despite this, she denied it, screaming, "No! I'm not trying to impress anyone! I'm helping my friends! I don't need any other reason!"

My family, my dad, the rest of them…, she thought to herself. I don't need to prove myself to them! I don't! Yet…Yet it would be nice if they congratulated me for once...

At the sight of the girl falling apart before her, Atsumi's eyes softened. "You look just like me, back when I was small…I used to shake a lot too…Taking a deep, nasally breath helps, then closing your eyes…" she smiled when Kotomi followed her example and did as she suggested and the tremors subsided. "See? It helps."

It really does help, Kotomi noted to herself as she tightened her grip on her sword, the blade once again perfectly steady. But…why is she helping me? Is this the real Atsumi? Is she breaking free?

"W-What are you doing giving her advice for!?" Hotaru shrieked.

"Sorry, sorry…your control slips easily…"

"H-Hmphf! W-Whatever! We'll just cut her down!"

"Hotaru!!" Ren cried from the other side of the cemetery. He had time to chat, apparently. "Don't slack off this time!"

"I-I promise! I won't let you down!"

She had barely spoken those words when she and Atsumi lunged again, this time managing not only to strike Kotomi down, but slice open her side as well.

"D-Damn…" she murmured, embedding the blade of her sword into the ground to help support herself, one hand clutching her injured side. She wasn't strong enough to wield such a large sword one-handed.

The sight of Kotomi bleeding seemed to trigger some sort of reaction in Atsumi as Hotaru began crying, "No, Atsumi, no! We need to finish this! If we don't, Ren will…!"

Willing away the pain, Kotomi pulled her sword free and took a slice at Hotaru, which was easily blocked, and Kotomi was sent back again as Hotaru regained control over Atsumi.

"O-Oww…" she gasped, trying to raise herself back onto her feet with the help of her sword, her throbbing ankle preventing her from making progress and causing her to fall back down onto her knees. "That…That really hurt that time…"

"Good! It's supposed to!" Hotaru snapped as she and Atsumi readied the final strike.

"Ready?" Atsumi asked.

Kotomi tried to smile, but only managed a grimace. "When is anyone ready to die? Especially when they have regrets…"

Atsumi frowned slightly at Kotomi's words, but none the less she readied the sword for a final strike, planning to slice open Kotomi's throat.

However, at that moment a whizzing sound rent there air, and with a dull thud an arrow embedded itself in Hotaru's arm, causing the girl to shriek and fall backwards, dropping the sword which transformed back into a tanto.

"W-What is this?!" she gasped, staring in fear at the glowing piece of paper tied to the shaft of the arrow.

"W-What the…? No way…!" Kotomi gasped, unable to believe it.

Yet, sure enough, a person dropped in from the air. As they straightened, the person was revealed to be a tall girl with short green hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. In one hand was a bow, on her back a quiver of arrows.

"And here I promised myself I wouldn't go overkill," the girl said as she helped Hotaru off the ground only to send her flying further back with a single punch. "But I guess it's necessary when dealing with shaman like you. You better back off unless you think you can stand and fight me."

"W-Who are…?" Hotaru questioned, delicately touching her cheek which was already beginning to swell.

"Mahoko Tachikawa. I'm a shaman from Kansai, and boy did you pick the wrong girl to pick a fight with. That girl over there might not look like much to you, but she's the heir to one of the Kansai clans. Be thankful I'm a merciful miko, Bitch."


	7. A Short Period of Rest & Recuperation

(Ichigo: Sorry for the wait everyone, here's Chapter 6!

Orenji: Chapter 7 should be out soon! See you then, everyone!

Ichigo: Read and review!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King. If we did we wouldn't need part-time jobs and allowances.

* * *

Chapter 6: A Short Period of Rest & Recuperation

There was a moment of almost complete silence following Mahoko's words. The only sounds were the laboured breathing coming from Kotomi and Hotaru. Sensing that the battle was over, Atsumi emerged from Hotaru and, placing a hand above and below where Hotaru was injured began to emit furyoku to heal the wounds.

"…You're free now," Mahoko crossed her arms, watching Atsumi work. "You don't have to do that."

"It's my duty," was the simple reply. Simple as it was, it made Kotomi smile.

"You're such a nice person, Atsumi-san," she said. "I'm sorry I yelled last time, I wasn't really…angry…"

Drained of all her energy, her eyes closed, her grip on her sword slackened and she fell forward into Mahoko's waiting arms.

"Jeez, you can thank me for saving your life too, whenever you feel like it…"

"Lay her down," Atsumi told Mahoko, floating over. "Taking care of this is my duty too…"

"You…!" Hotaru sputtered. "Don't you dare! You're my spirit! You can't heal the enemy!"

"Pfft, not anymore brat!" Mahoko glared at Hotaru over her shoulder. "That charm numbed you down enough to let Atsumi go free from that forced possession. She can do whatever she damn well pleases, right Miyuki?"

At Mahoko's words, a spirit materialized beside her. The woman had long green hair pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she was dressed in the red-and-white robes of a miko. "Of course."

"That's--" Hotaru began, but instantly fell silent when the spirit, Miyuki, gave her a look.

"If you say another word," she said. "I'll break each and everyone of your fingers,"

Miyuki snorted when Hotaru's eyes almost popped out of her skull. "You want me to get Daisuke to bring the truck around, Mahoko? I think that boy that Kotomi's with will need some help too…"

"Go for it. That girl's a wimp so I don't need help beating her up even if she has a sword."

"You…You can't just take her!" Hotaru protested, trying to climb back to her feet but her body was still too numb for her to stand. "Ren will…I can't lose!"

"You lost the minute a wimp like you thought you could handle a shamanic spirit," the busty Mahoko pulled Kotomi's sword out of the ground and stood, supporting Kotomi against her. "You need a clear mind, not one that's more focussed on keeping Pointy happy than getting the job done."

"And besides, if it's between you and I, after what you've done…" she turned and glared at Hotaru one last time. "I seriously won't hesitate to kill you with my own two hands. That's a promise. Now, go home, take a dump, and tuck lil' Renny into bed before crying yourself to sleep."

Hotaru bit her lip and fell silent and Mahoko left, Kotomi in tow.

* * *

"Hey Shrimp!" Miyuki yelled, startling Manta as she materialised behind him. "You can see me right? Tell Pompadour that we're taking your pal to the hospital but they need to show us the way. Daisuke's coming right now with the truck."

"Miyuki…!?" Amidamaru was shocked. He hadn't expected to see her here. He was certain she had passed on already.

Miyuki glared sharply at him. "I'll deal with you later, you washed up samurai!"

Manta gasped. "Miyuki?! S-She's…?"

"What?" she snapped, making Manta gulp. However, he was sparred any harm when a tall figure jogged over to them as the roar of an engine died. "Oh! Daisuke! We're over her, Sweetie!"

Amidamaru was shocked. "Sweetie…?" he was even more shocked to find that this Daisuke looked very similar to what Mosuke did as a teenager, only with green eyes. "MO-MOSUKE? No…you're too young to be him…"

"Ignore him Daisuke," Miyuki sighed. "He's kinda slow."

"Who's this…?" Daisuke asked, gathering Yoh into his arms, reading to put him in the truck he had driven as close as he could to them.

"Don't! You should never move an injured person like that!" Atsumi cried, racing over to examine Yoh.

"A-Atsumi…" Amidamaru said softly.

"Well?" Miyuki glared at him, "Who is he, Amidamaru?"

Amidamaru glanced at Yoh. "He's my master…he's very good friends with Kotomi-dono…"

"Hmm? So he wasn't one of her charity cases? You better be extra careful Daisuke, or Kotomi'll put one of your dating sims through the paper shredder again."

"I-I'll let you take care of it then, Atsumi-san!"

"You know my name--" Atsumi trailed off and she squealed, hugging the other female ghost. "Miyuki!"

"Hey, Atsu-chan! How have you been?" she grinned, ruffling Atsumi's hair roughly until it stood on end. "Ahaha! It still does that!"

"Gah! No no no no!" Atsumi protested, trying to flatten her hair. "It's all messy now!"

While the two ghosts conversed, Daisuke had carefully placed Yoh into the front seat of his truck, helped Manta inside, and helped Mahoko and the unconscious Kotomi get into the back of the truck, with Amidamaru floating around like a worried parent the entire time.

"You coming to the hospital with us, Atsumi?" Miyuki jerked her head towards the truck and Ryu's gang who were getting ready to lead the way. "I think Kotomi'd be glad to see you when she wakes up."

Atsumi beamed. "Mm! I'd be glad too!"

"Ahh! What a cutie!" Daisuke said as he climbed behind the wheel of his truck. "She's just like you said she was, Ba-chan!"

"I know, right? Ba-chan'd be very happy if you found a girlfriend like her."

"'Ba-chan?'" Amidamaru parroted.

"Yes, Amidamaru," 'Ba-chan', turned to him, hands on her hips. "There are people who actually care about me enough to actually consider me as part of their family. What about you? The best you could probably get is the family pet."

Amidamaru fought back the urge to cry--on the inside, of course. She seemed a lot harsher than he remembered her being the last time they had met when they were alive.

"D-Don't fight you two! Amidamaru is not the family pet!"

"Yeah, you're right," Daisuke turned the key and the engine roared to life, drowning out Amidamaru's tearful thank you addressed to Atsumi. "You need to be loveable to be a pet."

"Then he's an in-law or something?" Miyuki asked.

"Nah, I doubt that guy has the guts to marry into a family."

"You got that right. He's a--what is the term you guys use now? Oh yeah…-- a total flake. Not reliable at all," she huffed. "Tch, I feel sorry for you, Shrimp. You and your friend--um, what was his name?"

"Yoh Asakura…" Amidamaru said gloomly.

As the lavender-haired samurai's words registered, Miyuki forgot all about pitying the teens for being with Amidamaru. "Eh!? He's one of THOSE Asakuras!? Holly Hell…Kotomi's shacking up with an Asakura…"

"Jeez…" Daisuke risked a glance back at Kotomi who was dozing off against Mahoko's shoulder. "Ko'mi likes them strong, huh?"

The entire time, Manta had been quietly listening to the conversation between the ghosts and the strange new people who had come to help them, but the latest turn in the conversation reminded him of something. As best he could, he turned his head to look out the back window and at Atsumi. "Hey, Atsumi-san, shouldn't you tell Kuma-kun that you're okay?"

She started. She had completely forgotten. "Oh! I should!"

"A boyfriend?" asked Daisuke. He was leaning over the steering wheel and glaring through the darkness. He really needs to replace the truck's headlights. If it weren't for Ryu's gaudy clothes, strange hairstyle, and the sheer size of some of his 'groupies', Daisuke would've lost them…or rammed into one of their bikes.

"He…He's not her boyfriend!!!" Amidamaru cried, stuffing his head through the back window, sending Manta into a wave of screams. Daisuke raised an eyebrow at the antics of both the midget, the samurai ghost, and the sleeping teenager who couldn't seem to be bothered to button up his shirt.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever Amidamaru," Miyuki ignored Amidamaru's flailing ghost tail and his yells of protest from inside the cab and turned to her best friend.

"So you made a friend while I was gone, huh? I'm glad, I was worried my baby would be depressed without me around."

"Ohh, I was I was! Kuma-kun is very nice though. Very very nice. He's made the least 100 years not so bad."

"Booooyyyfrrrriiiennndddd~!" Manta sang.

"He's not her boyfriend!"

"He's been a lot nicer to me than you've been…maybe he is my boyfriend!?"

"ATSUMI!" Amidamaru faced her with tears streaming down his cheeks. "Don't say that!"

"OH GOD!" Miyuki clutched her stomach, doubled over and snickering violently. "You guys are hilarious! You and Kotomi will get along well, Atsumi! Ah…speaking of Kotomi…" Miyuki glanced at the building they pulled to a stop in front of, "This is her hospital isn't it? Azumi-san's?"

"Yup," Daisuke opened his door and swung out gracefully. "Let's load them up. Mako, get them a change of clothes."

"Will do~!" Mahoko saluted and vaulted over the edge of the truck and headed inside the building.

"Your friends are in good hands now," Miyuki reassured Manta as she disappeared, intending to inform this Azumi that patients were coming in.

"Azumi? Who is Azumi?" Amidamaru asked, floating behind Daisuke as he helped, first Manta and then Yoh out of the truck.

"Kotomi's mother. Well, I guess you could call her that," he frowned as Yoh's head flopped limply as he pulled him out of truck. The guy was a wreck. "She lives at the hospital, though. Completely immersed in her work."

"Then…Kotomi-dono lives only with her father?"

"E-Ehh…well…not exactly," Daisuke looked uncomfortable. "Her father lives…in Nara. Kotomi lives here alone."

Manta looked up at Daisuke and then at Kotomi, still in the back of the truck. Suddenly, her pestering for more food, and more shopping and whatever else made a bit more sense. Maybe she just wanted to shorten the amount of time she had to spend by herself.

"Azumi's all ready for them," Miyuki had re-appeared in order to deliver the message. "She's already got blood ready for Kotomi."

"I-I could've…"

"Now, now," Daisuke patted Atsumi's arm, having already handed Yoh off to the nurses and doctors who had come out to receive them. "Let science take care of it, alright? Conserve your energy…you know what happens when ghosts run out of furyoku, right? You could put your spirit body in danger!"

"That's right. Their injuries are mostly healed already. They just need a bit of blood, some stitches and lots of rest. You did a good job, Atsu-chan."

"Ma'ko's going to stay the night," added Daisuke. "So you're gunna stick around too, Atsumi-san? I'm sure there are people you'll want to catch up with."

"Besides Miyuki there isn't anyone."

Daisuke and Manta winced. Ouch.

"Maybe Yoh-dono'll be happy to see me…" Amidamaru sniffed, tears streaming down his face again.

"Goodness Amidamaru," Atsumi huffed, sensing something big was coming, Daisuke and Manta quietly snuck into the hospital. "You'd think a grown man like you would be able to handle yourself!"

"But…I missed you and you ignored me…"

Atsumi usually considered laughing at people to be very rude, but at Amidamaru's words she couldn't help the laughing fit that followed, one so strong she had to lean on Miyuki to remain standing. "Me!? Ignore you!? That's rich! Look, look, you're making me laugh so hard I'm crying!"

"Y-You have been!" he was flustered. He wasn't used to having such discussions. In his time, people weren't prone to voicing or acting out their feelings. So this was an entirely new phenomenon for him. "You never came to say hello to me in the cemetery! I…I would've gone to you but everyone's afraid of me! I didn't want to be alone if…if something happened."

"I did so. Every time I went by your grave, you floated away. You know so."

"That's…I didn't know what to say…after being apart for so many years and the circumstances which I died in…What was I supposed to say? I left you alone with…"

"Don't. This isn't the place."

"Yes…Yes, you're right. I…I apologize…" he licked his lips, trying to figure out what to say. "But please…soon. I want to…find out soon…what happened to…and I want us to be like before…"

Atsumi smiled. "Mm…but let's focus on the living right now…alright?"

Amidamaru smiled in return. "Yes, of course."

So enraptured were they with each others presence, that they didn't notice Miyuki had left long ago to leave them alone…but more than enough to confirm to her that they would be fine.

For a couple that were established over 600 years ago, before sharing ones feelings and talking things out was common place, they had caught on rather quickly…and done a good job at that.

* * *

"Are you…sure this is his room? They haven't put up a name plaque…"

"Yes. I'm positive. It's definitely his aura in there."

It was much later in the evening, long after Yoh and Kotomi had received medical treatment and the doctors had announced they would be healthy after some rest…a message that was to be relayed to the patients…especially Kotomi--since, as her mother put it, she wouldn't stay down otherwise.

Instead of resting as she was told, however, Kotomi was standing outside an inconspicuous hospital door with Atsumi at her side. Once apologizes and words of thanks were relayed, Kotomi had asked Atsumi where Yoh was, and Atsumi was very glad to oblige…

So that's how Kotomi found herself standing in front of an unmarked hospital door, dressed in a pair of borrowed pajamas that were several sizes too big, and with hair that she had meticulously flattened earlier and partially put into pigtails, curling and standing up whichever way it wanted.

"Ehh? You can sense auras? That's cool…" Kotomi looked at Atsumi and then back at the door, raising a fist and knocking. "Um…knock knock? Can I come in?"

"Heeeey! About time you showed up!" a familiar female voice said as she opened the door and pulled Kotomi in. "Your friend's such a cutie! Can I have him? Pleaaaaseeeee? He looks so hot shirtless!"

"E-Eh…I didn't think you would be interes--Wait…what did you say!?"

"You didn't brush your hair?"

"No! Before that! A-About Yoh being hot shirtless…" Kotomi gasped and looked around Mahoko, suddenly wondering what they've been up to. "Yoh!?"

"S-She was here when I woke up!" he waved his hands, turning pink.

"Ah…no you can't have him!" Kotomi snapped, turning back to Mahoko. "I don't care how good looking you think he is! You'd break him!"

"I promise, I'd be very gentle…"

Kotomi shuddered along with half the people in the room. That caressing, sweet-as-honey tone of voice wasn't fooling anyone. "Y-You can't have him!! That's final!"

"Aw fine…" in a stage whisper Mahoko added in Yoh's direction. "I'll come see you later tonight, Yoh~!"

"Y-You won't! You can't!" Kotomi sputtered, waving her hands around frantically, trying very hard not to think of what kind of things Mahoko might seduce Yoh into doing later. "He's not into that kind of stuff anyway! He spends all his time sleeping, and he's really unmotivated most of the time, and--"

"You're trying to turn her off yet it sounds like you're praising him," Miyuki observed, amused when Kotomi's neck and face slowly turned red. She was surprised a burst of steam didn't come out of her ears.

"N-No! That…That's not what I'm trying to do at all!!"

"Maaakooooo, Miyuuuuu," sang a voice. "Didn't I tell you not to tease her? She'll burst her stitches."

"Don't worry, Ba-chan!" Mahoko chirped, addressing the lady who had just walked in whom was dressed in a doctor's coat, with long black hair pilled on her head and a set of mischievous eyes to match Mahoko's, "That's why we have Atsumi here!"

"H-Hello," Atsumi bowed to the woman. "It's been awhile since I've seen a yuta like me."

"Oh, so you're a yuta as well? I was wondering why Yoh-kun and Kotomi's wounds were healing so nicely. Thank you. Oh, I'm Azumi, nice to meet cha. Now," Azumi patted Yoh's head, having crossed the room before anyone had noticed. "How are you doing, Yoh-kun? Does it still hurt?"

Yoh smiled sheepishly. "Yeah…"

"This chart thing with the red line on it says you'll be fine I you rest," Mahoko piped up, having stolen the chart from Azumi…which Kotomi tried dutifully to retrieved…without much success. Mahoko was, after all, several inches taller than she was.

"Mm, I'm lucky. Amidamaru dodged for me in the end so I avoided the worst of it."

"Please stop," Amidamaru frowned as he materialized. "It turned out like this because of my lack of skill."

"Ahhh, don't be like that," Kotomi plopped onto the bed with a sigh. All the chairs were occupied, after all, and she didn't feel much like standing around in pjs all night.

"Yeah," Yoh smiled. "Don't worry about it."

"Anyway," Manta leaned forward, intently paying intention to the conversation that was about to start with his question, "Why did he attack you?"

Yoh heaved a sigh and settled back against his pillows. He really didn't want to have this conversation but it looked like he had to. "He was saying it, wasn't he? It's because he's going to be the king of shamans. No other shamans are necessary then."

"That guy's gunna kill you over the Shaman Fight?" Mahoko shook her head, "Someone's got parental issues."

"Yeah…" Kotomi leaned back on her hands and looked up at the ceiling. "There's lots of strange people showing up already. I thought Kotoya-jiichan was kidding when he said I'd run into a lot of weird people in Tokyo."

"That damn chicken man is always right," Miyuki grunted, bitterly. Obviously she was still angry at whatever Kotoya had told her in the past.

"Jii-chan?"

"Hm? You know Kotoya-jiichan, Atsumi?"

"He lives on Kotomi's family's property," Miyuki explained to Atsumi, "He's not on the main property anymore, he's kinda out in the woods now…but he's there."

"Everyone goes to see him for advice because his predictions are so accurate," Kotomi added, "It's scary when you ask him something and he won't answer…you start thinking something bad's going to happen."

Atsumi was barely listening. "Jii-chan's still roaming around on the Earth? He hasn't passed on yet? What about Baa-chan? Or my mother?"

Kotomi was surprised to learn that Atsumi was related to the strange family of prophets and healers that lived in an old chicken coop on her family's property. Nonetheless she started searching her mind for the requested information.

"Um…Shiran-baachan is still there, so's Hanako-san. Though I rarely see Hanako-san…she rarely talks to people even if the medical condition she was rumoured to have when she was alive supposedly doesn't really show on her spirit…"

"My poor Mom--wait!" the tears that had started streaking down Atsumi's cheeks dried up instantly as she realized something. "She…her's didn't…then how come…"

The brunette blinked and leaned forward to try and catch more of Atsumi's whispered words. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

"I-It's nothing. It's personal."

She frowned and straightened. "Oh…"

There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted for only a few moments until Azumi yawned loudly.

"Well then," she said, "I'm off to take a nap…It's been a long night. Yoh-kun, if you need anything please ask one of the other nurses or doctors."

"Mm! I'll see you around Azumi-san!"

"Bye-bye~~!" Azumi waved cheerily and as she walked away down the hall, Kotomi could swear she heard her squeal and declare Yoh the cutest thing ever.

"She's still soft on boys, huh?" Miyuki asked, rubbing Kotomi's back as she hide her face against her thighs, a cloud of gloom forming over her.

"Yes! Her and Nee-san are just so…urrrrrg!"

"Sooooo, when do we get to fight them again!?" Mahoko asked suddenly.

"W-What!? You want to…!? Yoh's injured, though--no, wait…that wouldn't stop them…um," Kotomi looked back at Yoh, trying to look sheepish but looking more worried and upset. "Guess I wasn't much help back there, huh? Don't think I'll be able to help this time either…ehehe…sorry."

And if anyone ever asked why she couldn't do anything despite all her bragging, she decided they would die. Not even wild horses could make her divulge the fact she was trembling like a leaf after being pushed to the ground once.

"Don't worry!!" Mahoko slapped Kotomi hard on the back, a strange choking cough escaping the shorter girl, "'Cause Mako's here and fully capable of beating up anyone who's been bugging you--"

"I'd rather do it alone."

The bickering stop and all eyes turned to Yoh, calmly smiling.

"Wha…?"

"Y-Yoh! You can't! What if they double team you…!?"

"If I were Ren…I wouldn't make that girl fight again…she could be seriously hurt."

"Y-You think he…? I don't know what he's like but…she'll definitely do whatever he tells her too--"

Atsumi put her hands on Kotomi's shoulders, stopping her words, and gently shook her head. "Yoh's right."

"Still…I don't like this…I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Yeah…" Yoh looked towards the window and slowly slid out of bed, trying not to aggravate his wounds, "I guess we have to go…"

"What is it?" Manta asked, peaking out the window and recoiling when he saw Ren and Hotaru standing below.

"It'll make sure his wounds don't re-open, but if he does I'll close them up so he's safe for transport!"

"RIGHT ON! Then I'm back-up!"

"Your wound aren't that bad," Miyuki said, sweatdropping as Kotomi looked crestfallen at potentially not being able to help again, "You can go be the cheering section."

"Keep the midget busy," Mahoko suggested, hauling Kotomi to her feet.

"E-Eh!? How!? We've never had a real conversation before without insults flying!"

"Now now, don't complain, let's just go!"

"H-Hey! Don't push!!"

"She's…very bossy isn't she…" Amidamaru observed, a bit stunned by the sight of Mahoko manhandling the smaller Kotomi out of the hotel room and to who knows where.

"Yeeeeep," Miyuki said, with the air of a proud parent.

Yoh snickered. "Well then," he shuffled towards the door, "Let's go after them, shall we? Or Mahoko might do something without us."

With various words of agreement, Manta and the spirits followed Yoh out of the room.

Hopefully this would be the final confrontation for the night.

* * *

"Surely you don't think something longer would help," Ren taunted, eyeing the long metal pole Yoh had acquired from a lattice at the hospital. Kotomi had offered her sword but they determined it was too heavy to wield in Yoh's current state.

"So what?" Yoh asked, facing Ren from across an empty clearing surrounded by woods.

"It's laughable."

Hotaru stood off to the side awkwardly, her hand clasped around her injured forearm which had been meticulously and carefully wrapped in bandages.

Kotomi raised an eyebrow. Maybe the bandage job was a little _too_ meticulously. She was sure she saw three layers of bandages.

"You think she got scolded for getting hurt?" she asked, rubbing her arms trying to keep warm. Even though it was late summer, that night was particularly chilly…and she was still in borrowed pajamas, albeit with a jacket courtesy of Mahoko.

"Abusiiive," chimed Mahoko.

A sweatdrop. "And now you're just jumping to conclusions…"

"If he scolded her for anything like that it's an abusive relationship."

"Maybe he's trying to hide his soft side? A guy with hair that pointy has to have some kind of complex."

"Hahaha…" Mahoko chuckled, staring off into space, imagining what kind of complexes Ren Tao could possible have that would cause him act the way he Kotomi was suggesting.

"Mahokooooooo…"

"Yes, Komi~?"

"You're weird…"

"T-This isn't the time for this!" Manta yelled, watching as Yoh ran into the woods to try and outsmart Ren, his long pole already cleanly cut in half by Ren's first strike. "We have to keep an eye on Yoh-kun!"

"This way," Hotaru pointed before running off herself.

Kotomi followed without hesitation, everyone else following shortly. It seemed Atsumi's personality wasn't the only personality that was turned on its head by the forced possession incident.

By the time the group, Hotaru in the lead, had lead them out of the woods, they were back in the clearing…Yoh and Ren had gone in circles, dodging and slashing, until they finally ended up back where they started…

However, while the battle had began with both fighters strong and eager…Yoh had fallen to his knees and he was unsure if he could protect Amidamaru from being taken with his body alone…

He had decided to make a painful decision…

"You are strong enough already, Amidamaru," he said. "The one who's lacking skills is me. Now go. You shouldn't have any grudge on this world…Go to the other world where Mosuke is…"

"The other world?" Manta echoed.

"You are still my main spirit," Yoh continued. "While I'm still standing like this, he can't make you his main spirit…and…the spirit who died peacefully once…cannot return to this world."

"I won't let you do that!" Ren charged forward, ready to strike. "I won't allow you to have the time for that samurai to rest in peace. I'll make him mine over your dead body!"

Despite Ren's words and his determination, he was brought to an abrupt stop by what happened next. In the blink of an eye, Amidamaru had moved in front of Yoh, blocking him from any attack by Ren.

"What are you doing, Amidamaru!?" Yoh cried, his voice sounding panicky for once. If Amidamaru didn't leave, Ren might capture him and what happened to Atsumi would happen to Amidamaru only ten times worse. "Hurry up and go!"

"I refuse!!" the tone of his voice was strong and final. He wasn't going to change his mind and that made all present listen carefully.

"I'm very much aware that I can't do anything. However, even if we can't win…fleeing and leaving my lord behind…is the worse shame! My warrior's pride will not allow such a betrayal! Also…as for my attachments to this world…I still have many! There are many things I still must do before I leave here…and seeing Yoh-dono through to the end is just one of them!!"

"Amidamaru…" Yoh was amazed and touched.

"H-He didn't mention me…" Atsumi sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"I-I'm sure you're being counted in one of those many things he was talking about! W-Well, I don't think he meant 'do' as in that way…I'm sure it's something to do with you…and, um…"

"Don't waste your breath," Miyuki advised as she materialized. "The Emo is strong with these two…"

Manta and Kotomi stared. Was this…parody humour?

"I thought you died, 600 years ago, Miyuki-san…"

"She's been around, Kotomi…she's been around…" Mahoko sagely informed her.

"No kidding…"

"In that case…" Ren leapt towards Yoh, ready to strike while they were distracted, "Bason! Hyoui 100 percent!"

The blow never connected however, as Yoh caught the blade of Ren's qwan-dao with the pole.

"He blocked it!?" Manta was shocked, yet ecstatic. Did this mean that Yoh stood a chance?

"Hyoui 100 percent!? How could it be…"

"You taught us, remember?" Yoh reminded him, standing and walking across the clearing to the other half of the pole he had abandoned when it'd been cut, "When both spirit and shaman become one…100 percent of the spirit's power can be used. Right now, we have become one…"

Yoh pulled the second half out of the ground and turned to face Ren, naturally assuming a fighting stance, polls at his side. "No matter what happens…we absolutely won't leave each other!"

"Cut the crap!" Ren demanded, charging, "100 percent can't be obtained without conquering the spirit!"

"Ren, don't!" Hotaru gasped in horror, suddenly realizing what was about to happen.

"No, it exists here!" Yoh and Amidamaru slashed at Ren with the poles when he came within range. "Amidaryu Gokoujin!"

"Ren!! Ren, are you okay!?" Hotaru raced over to where Ren fell, carefully cradling him and inspecting him for injuries.

"T-That was kinda cool…" Kotomi remarked.

"Note to Kotomi: Your boyfriend is falling over."

Just as Mahoko mentioned, Yoh had dropped his poles and had collapsed face first. Atsumi quickly rushed over and began examining, him…Kotomi and Manta running over as well.

"Yoh-kun! Yoh-kun!"

"Yoh!! Are you okay?! It's me, Kotomi! You know it's me, right?! Are you conscious!? Tw-Twitch your fingers of something if you can hear me!!!"

"She didn't even bother to deny the boyfriend comment," Miyuki sighed, shaking her head. "Wonder if she even realizes how much he's got her wrapped around his little finger already…or…he probably doesn't even realize it either…"

Mahoko sighed. "Pathetic…I'd never fawn over a guy like that. Nuh-uh."

"Don't worry, only a pure-hearted moron could fall in love with you."

"Yeah, well…only a stubborn-hit-his-head-too-many-times baboon would ever fall for you."

"I can't disagree with that…he really is. That stupid Mosuke…didn't even wait around for me."

"Haha, it's okay it's okay. You can get it out of your system by taking it out on Amidamaru by beating him up."

Miyuki eyes twinkled and she cracked her knuckles. "_Excellent_."

Hotaru watched quietly as Mahoko and Kotomi helped Yoh to his feet and walked him towards the hospital, Manta and the spirits following close behind. Once they left she helped Ren to his feet and started walking him off back to their hotel.

Before she disappeared into the trees, however, she glanced back at the battleground and Ren's shattered weapon…nothing was left but two severely broken pieces and splinters.

She smiled softly, bowed her head in respect at Yoh's back and continued on her way.

It definitely wouldn't be the last they'd see of Yoh Asakura and his friends…and she hoped the next time wouldn't be the last either.

It would be nice, if they could all become friends and Ren could forget about his problems…


	8. Wake Up Call

(Ichigo: New chapter!

Orenji: We have up to Chapter 11 written out, so look forward to some more updates coming up really quickly!

Ichigo: Enjoy, everyone!)

Disclaimer: We don't own SK...if we did some of the canon pairings wouldn't exist...

* * *

Chapter 7: Wake-Up Call

It was the next morning when Yoh and Kotomi's next problem showed itself…

Or rather, herself.

She came in with the morning mist, the bell on her pack jingling softly with each step…

It was the jingling that alerted Mahoko and Miyuki to her presence. They had been on a morning breakfast run when they saw her. Quickly they exchanged looks and hurried further inside the hospital.

They had work to do…

* * *

"GOOOOOD MORNING!" Mahoko sang, pulling her hair back into its usual ponytail and ripping the covers off Kotomi. "Rise and shine, Sleepy Head!"

The girl blinked up at her childhood friend for a moment, trying to figure out where she was, what Mahoko was doing, and what time it was. Once she had the answers (hospital room, trying to wake her up, too damn early) she rolled back onto her side, curling up in the fetal position.

"Go 'way…it's not time to wake up yet."

"Damn straight it is! Time to get your moves on, Ko'mi! The early bird gets the worm…and the girl who wakes up first gets first dips on the cute shaman downstairs!"

"I'M UP!" The brunette sat up abruptly and jumped out of bed, running towards the chair where her jacket lay. "I'M GOING!"

"Does she realize she has bed head?" Miyuki snickered.

"Naaaah, hormones do that to infatuated beings."

"H-How does it end up sticking up on end like this!?" Atsumi cried in frustration, trying to flatten Kotomi's hair which was spiking, curling and standing on end. It was chaotic. It reminded her of how her hair was when she was alive…even if she slept with her hair tied up it still, somehow, managed to turn chaotic.

"It's natural plus static electricity--ah, anyway that's not the point!" Mahoko pointed her index at the two bumbling girls on the other side of the room. "POINT IS…Kotomi needs to get downstairs fast, and I'll tell you why…there's competition!!"

The two brunettes blinked stupidly at her. "Huh?"

"Ahem," the short-haired, green-haired teen produced a drawing pad from no where and began to sketch as she explained. "Okay so, this is Miyuki and me! We're walking around the hospital when all of a sudden…WHAM! We see HER! She's blonde, she's sporting a little black dress, she's go a rosary and…"

She paused and then scribbled on top of her picture, "SHE'S ON HER WAY HERE!"

Kotomi and Atsumi cocked their heads to the side, staring at Mahoko's drawings…which were nothing more than poorly rendered stickpeople in clothes. If they hadn't been listening to the story they would've had no idea that the strange, alien looking creatures in the top-left corner were Miyuki and Mahoko or that the triangle-shaped blob with a bowl on its head was this mysterious girl.

"Aren't you jumping the gun?" Kotomi asked, deciding not to comment on the drawings. "I mean…just because a girl shows up in a skimpy black dress coming here doesn't have anything to do with Yoh--ah, thank you…" Kotomi smiled, taking the sweater Atsumi had procured for her from Kotomi's house.

"Ko'miiiii, don't doubt your best friend's intuition…and it was NOT skimpy! It was nice, and flat--why don't you wear clothes like that!? Jeez! Show some pasty skin!!"

"I-I can't wear clothes like that! I-I'm too small to wear clothes like that…i-in various ways…I can't…fit into adult sizes…I still have to shop in children's…"

"She wasn't exactly a model like Mum either, you know! But she's still wearing it…and she's probably got tons of self-confidence…Besides, YOU'RE 13! Training bras are completely normal!"

"That's…That's easy for you to say!" Kotomi pointed accusingly. "Y-You're only a year older than me and you're already a C-cup!"

"Ah…well…"

"WHAT!? YOU'RE A D!? HOW DID YOU DO IT!?" Tears began streaming down Kotomi's face as she hugged her sweater tightly to her chest. "No way…I've even been trying those breast augmentation exercises you see in magazines…but they're not growing at all…"

"That's because they're a myth…" Miyuki said.

"Don't tell me that! They're my only hope!"

"It's alright!" Atsumi flew in front of Kotomi, smiling maternally at her. "I was a late-bloomer too! But I filled out eventually! Though…it took until I was 16…"

"I'm going now…" Kotomi declared, slumping and shuffling out of the room.

"Smooooooth…"

Atsumi blinked. "What? It's not like she'll have the same hormonal development as I!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Depends what the wager is…because if you're betting having to hop on one leg…"

Mahoko sweatdropped. "Is she totally pure?"

"This is her true personality…anyway, we should go downstairs and watch the show. 20 bucks Kotomi goes into shock when the girl flirts with Yoh."

"Right…I'll blow up the floatie just in case she passes out…"

Sure enough, Mahoko did indeed have a yellow, inflatable pool raft.

Atsumi really didn't understand these two…

* * *

"Morning…" Kotomi said sleepily, opening Yoh's door without knocking and shuffling over to the bed, passing out face first into Yoh's lap.

Yoh's legs stiffened underneath her. "K-Kotomi, don't…"

"Who is SHE?"

Startled, Kotomi jerked up and found a stern looking blonde girl glaring at her. A blonde girl in a small black dress. "…you don't look like you're drawing…"

"Maybe we should've let her wake-up fully…" Miyuki whispered, eavesdropping with Mahoko out in the hallway.

"She looks EXACTLY like my drawing, okay!?" Mahoko stomped into the room. "You just can't appreciate my fine art!"

So much for evesdropping…

Miyuki stared. She blew their cover…to defend her stickpeople!?

"Ma'ko…you draw a dog as a wiener with eyes and four legs all in a row…" Kotomi looked over her shoulder, giving her a deadpan look.

"Yeah…well…you draw CRAP!"

"Yeah…well…you suck at Japanese! You write all your letters in hiragana!"

"A-Anyway!" Miyuki swooped in, trying to find out what was really important. "Who's your new guest, Asakura?"

"That…That is…"

"I'm Anna Kyoyama," she answered. "I'm Yoh's future wife."

Silence. And then…

"OH! EAT IT! I SO CALLED IT!"

"WELL, KOTOMI DID GO INTO SHOCK, SO THERE!"

"Ko-Kotomi-dono!?" Amidamaru cried alarmed, as Kotomi turned white as the sheets she lay on and slid off the bed, crumpling to the floor with a loud thud.

"…Oops…guess we forgot about the floatie…"

"Darn…oh wait…" Mahoko grabbed Manta and stuffed the plastic mouth piece into his mouth. "BLOW!"

Anna snickered. "You'll get plenty of hot air from a meat bun like him."

"BLOW!!!" Mahoko commanded.

"You know," Miyuki chuckled. "If someone walked by and misheard this…" she paused, staring at Amidamaru's pink face. "MY GOD! YOU ARE A PRUDE!"

"Atsumiiiiii," he wailed as Atsumi burst into giggles.

"You okay, Kotomi??" Yoh asked as he helped her sit up. "Let's go get you some water or something…"

"Ah, that's a good idea," Anna's smile was like poison. "Go get me some juice too while you're at it."

Yoh was very happy to oblige along with everyone else. There had been a bad aura starting to form in that room since Kotomi arrived…

* * *

"This is sooooo hard…" Mahoko grumbled, tapping her foot as she mulled over the choices in the vending machine.

Miyuki nodded. "You're not kidding…"

"I'm not used to these Japanese brands…where's the W & A Root Beer?

"I don't think they have it…just let the midget pick? Hey, what do you want Kotomi?" Miyuki asked. "You want us to buy you something? Like that azuki bean juice or whatever it's called…"

"I don't want anything sweet…I don't want anything…"

At the same moment, they glanced in Kotomi's direction. She was sitting on a cushioned bench in a daze.

Kotomi had known in the back of her mind that Yoh's world didn't just consist of the four of them, her, Manta, Amidamaru and Yoh himself…but she had never thought he would hide something _this big_ from them…weren't they all friends?

Now with this, and the appearance of Mahoko, she was starting to re-evaluate everything…from her place in the world, to what she thought of people and what they might think of her…

Kotomi shook her head. Now wasn't the time to mull over this. Now was the time for action, to make her moves, as Mahoko had told her only an hour ago. Only, it wasn't in the romantic way that Mahoko had implied, but in finding out just what was going on and what Yoh was hiding, including his feelings regarding Anna, if possible.

After all, she had teased Yoh about not knowing what it's like to be in love but maybe he did…

"Hey, Yoh," Kotomi looked over Manta's head, intending to do just that. "You never mentioned you had a fiancée! Why didn't you ever mention it? I thought we were close!"

"Err…well…" Yoh looked apologetic and a bit sheepish. "It's Anna. Every memory I have of her involves me crying in the end."

"Eh!? She made you cry!?"

"W-Well…" he was growing nervous. Kotomi had that same passionate kind of voice she did when she was talking about how Hotaru and Ren were mistreating spirits…and she squashed her burger.

"You can come hide at my house! It's kind of leaky and it's haunted but it's all yours if you want it!"

"Too soon…! Too soon…!" Mahoko chanted from behind them.

"I don't think Anna'd let me…"

"T-Then I'll come keep you company at your house! I'm pretty confident in my cleaning skills, so I can do your chores and you can relax!"

"The poor girl…" Miyuki sighed, tears streaming down her cheek. "Trying so hard to find a place and get an edge…"

"A moment of silence…" her shaman agreed.

"Kotomi! Yoh-kun has a fiancée! If he has a fiancée, he has a fiancée! She probably won't want you hanging around him anyway."

"B-B-But!" she waved her arms wildly. Manta's comment that Anna might attempt to sever her from Yoh's life was just what she was worried about happening, and hearing it confirmed by someone who is as intelligent as Manta made her all the more worried and frantic. "I…I don't care if he has a fiancée! A friend's a friend and I can't just leave him alone with someone who bullies him!"

"You two argue as much as Rin-chan and Ryou--WHY!?" Mahoko violently kicked the vending machine because the machine had malfunctioned and eaten her change instead of giving her the drink she had purchased at random.

"M-Mako! Don't compare us to them! Then won the award for best siblings or something didn't they!?"

"Well…"

"If you make a comment about us both being vertically challenged, I'll kick your ass…" Kotomi glared at Miyuki.

Miyuki glared right back. "Bring it on, Miss. Nearly Wet Her Pants Fighting Atsumi."

"AHH! You said you wouldn't mention that fight anymore!! Ah!" Kotomi waved her hands frantically when tears streaked down Atsumi's face. "I-I'm not mad at you!!"

"Komi…lil' Chibbi-chan can kick your ass without noticing that his hair's spiked up beyond repair from running."

"And you probably boasted again…" added Miyuki.

"Stop it already! You don't have to remind me of how bad I am at everything!"

"You said it, not me…"

"Do you guys enjoy bullying people!?"

Mahoko was aghast. "Bullying? Us? Never! We're just messengers of truth."

"Please, can I hide in your house, Yoh!?" Kotomi begged, tugging on his sleeve. "They won't be able to find me there!"

"Don't make us start telling him embarrassing childhood stories!" Miyuki's threat worked, Kotomi immediately let go of Yoh's sleeve. The ghost sighed and looked at Atsumi. "Anyway, where's Amidamaru? He was here a minute ago, wasn't he?"

"Oh! He said he'd go tell An--"

"HE'S ALONE WITH AN ITAKO!?"

Atsumi blinked, startled by Mahoko's outburst. "She's an itako? Oh, how nic--oh…"

Manta glanced at everyone in turn, confused. "Why's that a bad thing?"

"Pfft, you'll see Balloon Boy!" Mahoko chuckled. "You ready to see some 'bondage?'"

"E-Eh!?" Kotomi jumped to her feet. "She didn't…!"

* * *

"YOH-DONO…!"

Kotomi sweatdropped. Anna really did tie Amidamaru up with her beads.

"I guess I was right after all…how shameful," the blonde itako sighed and tugged on her beads, allowing a free and teary-eyed Amidamaru to float back to Yoh's side. "Well, that's fine. That's why I came here. From today on, you'll be undergoing my special training course."

"Special?" Manta echoed.

"What's that mean?"

Kotomi's face paled at the possibilities as she answered Yoh. "Hopefully not what GG's special training course is…"

"Don't you want to become Shaman King?" Anna asked, walking over to the group standing by the door. "Then do as I command. I won't do anything bad to you."

"I…have my own way of carrying things out…" Yoh told her, nervously. He had no idea how she would react to his words.

Anna glared. "Do you want to die? As you are right now…if you were to enter the Shaman Fight, you'd surely die. To be Shaman King is a dream amongst dreams. Against all the shaman gathering from around the world…you wouldn't stand a chance."

"All over the world?"

"A-Aren't you being a little harsh on him, um…Anna-san," Kotomi quickly said, interrupting Amidamaru. "He's done well with the challenges he's faced so far."

"You don't understand do you?" Anna didn't give Kotomi the chance to respond before she continued. "We're talking about shamans coming from all over the world. Am I right?" Anna was glaring at Mahoko now. "You came here for that purpose as well, right?"

Mahoko looked nervous. "W-Well…yeah…"

"Eh? Mako's entering? But that thing back home is happening soon…"

"Don't say another word if you like your vocal chords where they are."

"R-Right…" Kotomi flinched under Mahoko's harsh glare. Mahoko never gave her that kind of look before, and it was making her nervous. What was going on that she wasn't aware of?

"Is what Anna-dono saying true, Yoh-dono??"

"Mm…that Ren guy was an example. Shamans from all over the world will be showing up for a fight…but…even so…I have my own way of doing things!"

"You have to live through the Shaman Fights!" Anna's voice was like a knife, slicing through the air and intimidating everyone into an attentive silence. "I want to be the Shaman King's First Lady, and since you'll be my husband you have to become the Shaman King no matter what. As for me…you have to give me an easy-going life!"

"W-WHAT'S WITH THAT!?"

And thus started Yoh's intensive training in preparation for the battle to become Shaman King. Running laps with weights on his ankles and wrists, sitting in awkward stances for unnaturally long periods of time, lifting weights made out of metal polls and cinder blocks…Anna worked him to the bone.

But he'd need it, sooner than anyone thought.

And to think, it was all because of a 1970s kung-fu movie that Yoh faced his greatest challenge yet…


	9. Enthusiastic Fanboy

(Kotomi: New chapter! The Pyron arc begins!

Orenji: Enjoy the chapter, everyone!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...so don't you dare ask us if we do.

* * *

Chapter 8: Enthusiastic Fanboy

It had been over a month since Yoh started his assiduous training. Lately, with school finally letting out at the end of July for the start of summer vacation, Yoh and Kotomi had started to join Yoh on his 50 kilometre runs through town.

That day, the run took them through a park. A park with benches, which Yoh was eternally thankful for when he realized he was going to croak from lack of oxygen, or he was going to fall face first into the pavement when his wobbly legs gave out.

"Stop, stop!" he gasped, grasping onto the bench to stay upright. "J-Just a small break! Let's just take a small break!"

"You okay, Yoh!?" asked Kotomi over the squeal of her borrowed bike's breaks. "You look like you're about to collapse!"

"No! You can't stop now!" Amidamaru protested, materializing beside them. "You're more than half-way there!"

Blearily, Yoh regarded Amidamaru, his brain slowly registering the samurai's words as he slumped onto the bench. "…I'm only half-way? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"It's okay, It's okay!" Atsumi soothed from behind him, massaging his sore shoulders and upper back. Yoh sighed, slumping over even more. Whatever she was doing back there felt so nice.

"I can't believe you haven't croaked yet!" the tiny Manta's voice was nothing but tiny as he voiced his opinion.

"He won't! Atsumi-san's massages are the best!" Kotomi pushed up her t-shirt sleeve, flexed her arm, and winked. "She said she'd teach me, so you can look forward to them at school too, Yoh!"

"Ehhhh? Atsumi's a nice lady. No one'd want you massaging them."

Kotomi's eyes narrowed, her expression resembling a mischievous fox. She debated kicking his bike and knocking him over, but deciding that probably wasn't the best way to prove she was a 'nice lady' like Atsumi, she opted instead to say, "Did you really have to say something like that?"

"They're really therapeutic, Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru said, hoping to steer the conversation in another direction before Manta or Kotomi does or says something to make the other homicidal. "Atsumi would give them too me when we were young and I was still learning how to wield swords. I could return feeling that every inch of me was throbbing in pain and in half-'n-hour I couldn't even remember why I needed a massage."

"Jeez," Atsumi murmured as she blushed. "That's not true."

"What!? Why are you being modest!? Don't listen to her, Yoh-dono! I speak the truth. You'll feel completely relaxed and rejuvenated with Atsumi's help!"

"Thanks a bunch, Atsumi!" Yoh smiled feeling as though he may have a second wind in him after all.

"Jeez, Anna's really packing the heat, huh?"

"As of late, my food has been tasting great," Yoh commented, instead of answering Manta's question. "In other words…it's like I'm training in order to eat tasty meals."

"That's…isn't it tough?" Manta asked.

"Well, if I train, fighting will be easier for me and Amidamaru. Plus…if I think it's fun, it'll be fun!"

"'Everything will work out', right?" Kotomi chirped.

"Exactamundo!"

She laughed. "Well…do you feel like you can continue on now? How many bowls of rice are you going to have for lunch? Three?" Kotomi added, as they started running and pedaling again.

"Definitely five!"

Manta sighed, "At least we know your stomach isn't broken--" his words stopped abruptly as they passed a bulletin board. Suddenly he was back-pedalling and staring at a poster using his bike as a stool. "LEE PAI LONG?!"

"What?" Kotomi backed up as well. "Lee Pai…don't tell me you're a fan of this guy, Manta!"

"Eh!? Why wouldn't I be!? He's a legend! An epic artist! Action star supreme!"

"Eh?! 'Epic' is a bit much, isn't it!? He's a dud! A D-class action star!" Kotomi was horrified. Mahoko's brother Daisuke had been a fan when he was younger and every time she watched the movies with him as a child she had felt her brain starting to rot. How could such a smart boy like Manta like these movies?!

"Ah! I saw this movie!" Atsumi gasped, staring at the posted.

"Ah! A woman with good taste--"

"It scared me! I couldn't stop crying at the fat men in cat suits!"

"I know, right!? The film's so bad…the lines are so corny!" Kotomi added, pedaling after Yoh who decided he'd rather finish his jog than listen to their argument.

"'In a battle of strength, the person himself, as well as the opponent, will be hurt!'" Manta quoted, him and his little yellow bike hot on their heals.

"Manta," Kotomi sighed. This was going no where fast. Change of topic. "Hey if you wanna watch some good movies I'll lend you some of my Edo-period…" she trailed off when she noticed Manta wasn't even listening anymore.

Looks like she was gunna have to put up with Pai Long for awhile…

"'Thick tree branches can be broken easily, but thin and flexible, small branches won't be broken.' Lee Pai Long mocks his opponents with various kicks and feints, and then….he gives the final blow when he spots an opening!" Manta was grinning. "How's that? Do you think it'd be helpful in a Shaman Fight?"

"Shaman Fights are different than martial arts," Yoh explained.

"And besides, I can't see Yoh doing kung-fu…" Kotomi murmured before adding, trying once again to steer the conversation away from Pai Long, "So would you be a thick branch or a skinny branch, Yoh? I think skinny since you're so easy-going and Manta would be thick because he's so rigid. What do you think, Atsumi-san?"

"Yoh-kun would be a thick branch! The ones that can support people and stand immoveable during a storm…Manta-kun would be a thin branch since he's easily swayed by the wind!"

Kotomi blinked. Is _that_ was the expression was saying? Kotomi thought it meant rigid things broke easily and that flexible things didn't…if that's what it means than her assignment of who's what works…yet if it's what Atsumi said…

So _this_ is how she failed classical literature…

"Hey, Yoh," Kotomi asked, glaring at her school bag sitting in the basket of her bike. The school bag she had to carry around because she had summer school in the mornings. "How did you manage to pass classic lit!? You were asleep the entire time and I don't think you even read any of the stories!"

"I'm a new student so they went easy on me~"

"EH!? Is that why!? Jeez…I wish I was still a transfer student…You should buy me ice cream or lunch or something to make up for the fact you took my spot!"

"I don't think Anna-dono would give Yoh-dono money for such a thing," Amidamaru said.

Kotomi almost fell over. That _used_ to work. Before Anna showed up…wait a minute…did Amidamaru just imply that…?

"What!? She has you on an allowance, Yoh!?" she sweatdropped when Yoh nodded sadly. "W-Wow, you guys really are like an engaged or married couple…Can I at least get a bowl of rice? I skipped breakfast this morning because I woke up late…"

"Oh, oh, I'll make you rice!" chirped Atsumi.

Kotomi sweatdropped. Did Atsumi know how to cook rice using modern appliances?

"O-Oh! Ok! Thank you!"

"I haven't had Atsumi's rice in a long time…" commented Amidamaru, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"It's all I can make. It's my duty as a woman!"

"You're a very wonderful woman, indeed…"

"Hey, Atsumi-san…why are you hanging around here, anyway?" Manta asked, feeling uncomfortable with the sparks of passion the two ghosts seemed to be giving off in each others presence. "Kotomi needs to find a ghost…you're just giving her the wrong idea."

"Eh? Why can't she be my ghost?"

"Because she's weak and can't fight?"

"What? I'm worse than her! Besides, maybe she can teach me how to heal people!"

"YOU?! Heal people!? That probably requires work, and smarts, and being _gentle_!"

Kotomi bristled, angry that he didn't believe she could do it. "So what?! I can do it! There's something I can do out there, maybe this is it! It can't hurt to try," she glanced at Atsumi. "Right!?"

Atsumi pursed her lips. How did she dissuade her without offending her?

"Becoming a yuta normally takes years of diligent mental training and physical training. I had to learning everything on my own and from my grandmother's notes…It's a hard road to chose. Unless you're hoping to be like your mother and use current science rather than furyoku…"

Kotomi moved her head back and forth. "I don't want to be a doctor! I don't mind if it takes a long time, I just wanna find something I can do, that's why I came here, after all! If I've found what that something is, I don't mind putting in a lot of effort! If you won't teach me, just say so! Don't beat around the bush!"

The ghost pouted. "You yell at me a lot…"

Startled, Kotomi looked away, glaring at the pavement underneath her bike tires. She didn't realize she was yelling. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to. You don't have to teach me if you don't want to. If that's the case, I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Let's just go see the movie," Manta proposed, thinking it'd cheer up both depressed and downhearted girls.

"I don't have the money…and I doubt Anna-san would chip in. H-Hey! What are you doing!?" Kotomi stared in horror as Yoh, somehow, managed to get Kotomi's phone from the pouch attached to her school bag and began fiddling around with it. "D-Don't do that! You're not allowed to play with that! What are you trying to do!?"

Yoh ignored her, murmuring under his breath as he pushed various buttons, leaving Kotomi to worry about whether he was going to find that text message she had send Mahoko asking what she should do about the situation with Yoh and Anna since she was feeling strange, and the answering reply, 'Just act like you usually do.'

"I'm trying to get a hold of Mahoko," Yoh finally said. "Apparently she's 'On the phone with Mommy Dearest. Interrupt me and I will--'" he drew in a breath sharply, turning a little pink. "That's really lewd!!"

"Here. Give it here," Kotomi said, taking back her phone and starting to text message Mahoko

'_Mako,_' it read. '_Say hi to Otome-san for me. Yoh wants me to go to a movie with him but he doesn't have any money. Can you hook him up? P.S. You can come too. It's a Lee Pai Long movie, so brings lots of popcorn along so we can throw it at the screen 3' _

"And send…" she murmured out loud as she hit the appropriate button and watched the paper airplane graphic on the screen zoom into a mail-box, whose flag was raised and the door shut.

A moment later, Mahoko's reply came, saying, '_The hell Komi! You trying to kill me? After all these years of friendship and love…you want me to kill myself watching something only a creepy old man would love?_'

Kotomi snickered at the implication that Manta was a creepy old man as she composed, and then sent, her next message. '_Manta's the one who suggested the film. Come on, I can't find a main spirit, I can't find a boyfriend…take pity on me and keep me company…please?_'

'_You realize you're gunna have to stop guilting people into doing things one day, riiiight? I mean, it'll always work on me but…ah, whatever. Meet me there and I'll hook you guys up._'

Grinning, the brunette said her thanks and love before snapping her phone shut, returning it to its case. "Mako said she'd pay for us."

"Ahhh, Mahoko's a livesaver," suddenly Manta had a whole new respect for her. He could almost forget about the inflatable raft incident in the hospital…

Almost…

"She is, she is…but do you still need Anna-san's permission, Yoh? Or are you going to sneak out?"

"Ah! Of course I need her permission! Ah, let's hurry up and go ask--no, wait, I'll just go by myself. It'll be quicker this way! She'll probably be more agreeable if I don't bring a bunch of people home without asking. The money thing probably sold her, but just in case," Yoh called as he jogged off. "Stay here, guys! I'll be back in a minute!"

"Geez…" Manta sighed. "Now I'm kinda curious about where Yoh-kun lives…we're almost in the middle of no where."

"Should we follow him?" Kotomi asked.

"What are you, a stalker?"

"I hate you…"

"The feeling's mutual…"

Atsumi sweatdropped. It'd be nice if those two learnt how to get along. But not tonight.

It was doubtful those two would unite in regards to Pai Long, however, if their personal feelings for the action star were any indication…

"By the way," Amidamaru asked, breaking the strange tension. "What is an akushon star? Is he a bad guy?

"No, no, that's not what it means," Atsumi giggled, patting his arm. "It has nothing to do with 'Aku' it's an English word…"

As Atsumi explained she saw a spark of excitement in Amidamaru's eyes and she decided to come, just on the off chance she might see part of the spunky, goof she fell in love with all those years ago.

She could face cat suit men for that…right?

* * *

"Here you go…you bad movie loving people!" Mahoko said, a few hours later, holding out the tickets to everyone, who then proceeded into the theater to get food, drinks and a seat.

Except for Kotomi, who was almost in tears that her friend decided to come after all.

"Maaaaako, you're a life saver! I didn't know what else to do! First Atsumi-san rejected me and now…I need cheering up…you think Yoh's sleeping face will do it? The sleeping face of cute boys is supposed to be rejuvenated isn't it? It always is in dramas and stuff…"

"Boy plus action equals no sleepie! And you got rejected by a girl? What's up with that?!"

"I didn't mean that kind of rejection! I kinda asked her to be my main spirit…"

"Komi…did you ask her nicely? Were you specific? Or did you let your 'I'm hopeless' attitude take over again?"

"E-Eh…the second one…ehehehe…"

"Komi…shamans have to be worthy of their spirit! I inherited Miyuki from my mother when I showed her I was ready, remember? Only after that was I allowed! You need to show your willingness! Like me, I dedicated years of my life to the shrine, and not to mention that handy-dandy celibacy oath…"

"Than…what am I supposed to do? I can't go around healing people or something…I tried to volunteer once at the hospital and my mom started laughing hysterically…"

"That's because you get frustrated when people whine and complain unless they're this tall," Mahoko held her hand so it was level with her nose. "And wear orange headphones."

"E-Eh!? That's not true! I'm totally understanding and compassionate, right? H-Hey! What's with that look like you ate something bad?!"

"You guys are going to miss the movie," Miyuki noted. "You guys will miss the chance to see the boys make asses of themselves."

"True, true."

"I'm telling you, Yoh won't like it…!" Kotomi cried as she was dragged inside by Mahoko.

* * *

"E-Eh!? Y-You really liked it Yoh?" she asked two-hours later, shocked.

"Yeah! Of course! It was amazing!"

"Going into that enemy base all by himself…" Manta trailed off and than continued, his words, kicks and punches in synch with Yoh. "Don't make me laugh! Taste my fury!"

"Simpletons…" Anna sighed as the boys imitated the scene from the movie.

"Mako…" the small, pig-tailed girl tugged on her sleeve. "I-Is this painful feeling in my heart disillusionment…!?"

"Welcome to the real world," Miyuki congratulated in a dry, unhappy voice. "THIS is what guys are like: they're all simple-minded, microscopic morons…your Prince Charming is nothing but a fantasy."

"EH?! No way!!!"

The brunette ghost frowned. "You shouldn't be so judgemental! You need to love every part of a person!"

"Oh yeah? Do you love every part of Amidamaru?" Atsumi's best friend snapped, gesturing at the ghost in question as he babbles praise about the film. "Well, DO YOU?"

"Mm! Of course! Even the incredible dorkiness that annoys me to no end!"

"Urg…you're going to make his ego swell…"

Kotomi blinked. "Then, did you not love Mosuke-san…?"

Miyuki looked off into the distances, silent, colour slowly filling her cheeks, turning them red. "W-Well…of course I do."

"Told you~" Atsumi sang.

"H-HEY!"

"Hmm…so I have to love every side of him…" Kotomi murmured, contemplating. "Alright! Thank you, Sensei! I will learn to like even the annoying sides of him!"

Miyuki hung her head in defeat, "Don't praise her like she taught you something amazing…"

"At least I'm the one who didn't cry during the scene here Pai Long almost died…MIYUKI."

"EH!?" Kotomi's voice was so loud it attracted the rest of the group's attention. "IT WAS YOU THAT CRIED, MIYUKI!?"

"I'm going to kill you…"

She cowered behind Yoh. "Don't hurt me…it was Atsumi-san that mentioned it!"

"But Miyuki would never hurt cutesy-wutesy lil' ol' me~!" Atsumi giggled, causing Kotomi to stare. She was really beginning to fee that Atsumi wasn't quiet all there…or at the very least, her true personality isn't what she led others to believe.

She seemed to have the skill Kotomi always wondered how girls managed to do…wrap guys and people around their little fingers…demonstrated when Amidamaru materialized in front of Atsumi to protect her in case Miyuki did attack.

"Heeey, can we go home?" she asked. "I feel like I need to go into hibernation…"

"You could always take a vow of celibacy like me!" Mahoko thumped her fist on her chest.

"No way! A vow of celibacy doesn't stop heartbreak, it just takes the fun out of everything! No 'confirmation of love'!"

"Well, neither alternative is very pleasant…celibacy or heartbreak," Miyuki wasn't even going to comment about sex supposedly being a confirmation of love.

Let the romanticist keep her ideals until they threaten her life, she figured.

"Anyway~! Let's go, Miyuki!" Mahoko said, walking ahead of the group, stopping when stitched up bodies hopped out of an alleyway and blocked their path, clawed arms before them.

Sensing danger everyone braced themselves for whatever might be coming their way. Was it Ren? Or someone new…? Only one way to find out…

"My God! Retro, bunny-hopping, Pai Long fanatics!"

Kotomi and Manta fell over with a loud crash.

Apparently Mahoko's instincts were slow to alert her to danger…


	10. The Wrath of an Older Sister

(Ichigo: Here we are with a new chapter!

Orenji: We'll try and post the next one within a few days...it's already written, just a matter of remembering.

Ichigo: But enough about that! Enjoy everyone~! Please review if you can!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...please don't tell me you thought we did.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Wrath of an Older Sister

"My God! It's retro, bunny-hopping, Pai Long fanatics! Quick!" Mahoko cried as Kotomi and Manta recovered from their shock at her original exclamation. "We have to do something! Pepper spray! Pepper spray!"

"No! Mahoko! They're dangerous!" Manta cried, afraid she'd advance and do something stupid.

"Pai Long fanatics _are_ dangerous!"

"They're….not bunny Pai Long fans…" Kotomi explained slowly, carefully, as though talking to a small child. "They're zombies."

"Zombies…?"

"Right! Very dangerous!" Manta added.

Mahoko turned pale, her skin milky white. "Like…Like…in a…in a…"

"Right, the kind in horror movies. The one's that eat your brains."

Tears rolling down her face, Mahoko shook Kotomi's shoulders. "But…in horror movies only the main couple survives!"

"E-Eh!? But that means only Yoh and Anna-san survive! Or…Amidamaru and Atsumi-san…" Kotomi was confused. "Wait…they're dead so do they count…"

"Kotomi," Mahoko's gripped tightened on her friend's shoulders and her gaze became serious. "If you want to survive, you'll have to do a little somethin' somethin' with Manta. I'll sacrifice myself….BUT YOU MUST LIVE!"

"EH!? T-THAT'S LIKE KISSING A BOBBLE HEAD, OR A DOLL, OR SOMETHING!!!"

"I'M RIGHT HERE, YOU KNOW!"

"Don't let it get to you, Manta," Miyuki advised. "They're useless in a crisis."

"Right, everyone stay away," Yoh grabbed a pole from a nearby alleyway to serve as an impromptu sword. "I'll handle--actually, why aren't you doing anything Mahoko!?"

"Eh? Oh! Right, right!"

"Me and Atsumi-san will be back-up support from back here!" Kotomi cheered, standing far away from the line of zombies.

"I'll heal your injuries if you sustain any!" Atsumi added.

"I-I'll be cheering…" Kotomi sweatdropped, suddenly realizing that if everyone was part of a party in an RPG, she'd be the character who wasn't much help in the important battles since the character is low level.

Or she was just the villager that repeated useless information.

Approaching where Yoh stood, Mahoko pulled a springy piece of wood from her pocket and her hair elastic, preparing to use them as a very, very rough equivalent of the bow and arrow she had the night where she fired an arrow into Hotaru's arm.

"Sorry, Miyuki," she stretched the elastic over the ends of the wood, causing the stick to arc and form the shape of a bow. "This is going to suck majorly."

"It'll do well enough…you can't be expected to carry an archery bow all the time and I'm used to inferior bows thanks to my childhood," the miko ghost transformed into her green coloured spirit ball form. "Let's just get this over with and relax in the tub."

Without further delay, both eager to finish this fight and return home, Yoh and Mahoko invoked Hyoui Gattei, pushing their spirits into their body.

"Whoa," Manta gasped, "Mahoko's Hyoui Gattei is 100%..."

"Hehe, of course," Kotomi was smiling fondly, beaming with pride, her arms folded behind her head. "Mako always did pick things up faster than anyone back home. She probably would've been gloating the other day if we weren't in the hospital."

"All in due time, sweetie~" Mahoko drew back the string of the make-shift bow, glancing at Yoh. "If we destroy the paper on their foreheads, do they go kaput?"

"They should…I can take care of most of them so don't sweat it."

"I'll cover you then. Go go go!"

At Mahoko's words, Yoh dashed forward and swung the pole, felling all of the zombies in a single swing. As Yoh strained the sound of clapping was heard from somewhere ahead, the clapper stepping forward into the light of a street lamp and the person was revealed to be a tall, well-endowed green-haired teenager in a black China dress with a panda emblazed on the front and a dragon on the side.

"That was great, Yoh Asakura," she said. "Not being able to hold you off with that many…I apologize for underestimating you."

"…Are all green-haired women top heavy?" Manta asked.

"Does that mean if I dye my hair green I'll jump two or three cup sizes?" Kotomi queried, almost hopefully.

"Don't think it works that way…"

"Who are you?" Yoh, at least, was keeping his priorities straight.

"My name is Jun Tao. I'm Ren's big sister."

Anna narrowed her eyes, "You're a shaman?"

"That's correct. I'm a doshi."

Racking his brain, Manta remembered reading an article in his trusted Manjien and shared the information with the rest of the group. "I think…doshi are shaman who can control kyonshi with words written on a charm. It's possible to program kyonshi with multiple commands."

"In my country, doshi have existed for hundreds of years. I came here to ask you a favour," Jun fixed her eyes with Yoh's, daring him to defy her and her request. "For my lovely little brother Ren, could I take your samurai, Amidamaru?"

"Even if you asked nicely, I couldn't just say 'Oh sure'."

"It would be to your own advantage to give him up willingly," she drew several talismans from a corset on her left leg and, when Yoh made no move of co-operating, she became serious, calling forward another kyonshi…

One she referred to as "Lee Pai Long."

"S-Still think Pai Long fanatics are scary, Mako…?"

"I-I think Pai Long's pretty scary too…Umm, you know…you're really awesome, Pai Long! All those things I said about you having porcupines for sideburns? Yeah, all Komi's idea!"

"I-I never said anything about his porcupines being sideburns--I mean, his sideburns being porcupines!"

"Lee Pai Long is my main spiri. The strongest of the Tao family possessions, the ultimate corpse weapon!" Jun informed the stunned group of teenagers and spirits. "Now, before I let Lee Pai Long move, hand over Amidamaru!"

"You don't want to do you, Amidamaru?"

"Of course not!" Amidamaru materialized beside Yoh's side.

Jun scowled. "So you intend to stand in Ren's way until the end?"

"No. Amidamaru is my friend. That's why I can't trade him off like an item."

"Friend? What a stupid excuse. I have no choice then!"

She then threw out a seal that attached itself to Pai Long's forehead and a brutal, one-sided battle began. No matter what Yoh and Amidamaru did, they were unable to gain the upper hand against the kung-fu master being controlled by the older Tao.

"Do you think you can hit him, Miyuki?" Mahoko asked, squinting her eye, trying to keep the point of the furyoku arrow on Pai Long's talisman as he shot every which way after Yoh's body.

"I'm trying, it's difficult though..." Miyuki grit her teeth. Most of her targets had always been stationary or moving at a speed her eyes could keep up with. At this rate of speed she was as likely to miss or hit Yoh rather than landing a strike on Pai Long and removing the talisman.

"Try harder…! If we don't…!" Mahoko froze as she heard her phone sound in her pocket. The personalized ring tone chilled her spine. No, not now of all times.

"Mahoko, no…" Miyuki floated beside the girl as she pulled out her cell phone, turning it on and muttering a greeting and running off. "Tell him we can't, now's not the time…"

Ignoring her, Mahoko dashed down the street, ducking around the corner, frowning as she listened to her father's words. "Your marriage partner is here. Where are you? Get back here this instant! Your mother is worried sick. This is very rude. Don't forget, the fate of the Tachikawa clan rests inthe hands of you and your brother and Daisuke is…well, whatever, just get over here."

_Click_.

Squatting, Mahoko hid her face in her arms, clutching the phone tightly. She didn't need a reminder of how much of a flake her brother was and that it was up to her to keep the Tachikawas from dying out. She didn't want a marriage partner, she wanted to be like Kotomi and be able to believe in romance and pick her husband…but for the sake of her family, the people that were always by her side and gave her food and clothes…

She pulled herself to her feet and began walking towards a place where she could take the train home. Kotomi would understand, she was probably used to this by now. These kinds of emergencies and sudden absentees have been a part of their friendship since they became friends at the tender age of four. Mahoko was sure Yoh would understand as well. That's why she had been so drawn to him: here was a guy who seemed like he wouldn't care if she had to cancel plans or had to put her family before him.

That and, since he was an Asakura she might actually be allowed to marry him. Someone _she_ picked.

The others, she wasn't so sure about. But if Kotomi explained it to them they'd probably understand and forgive her. She was sure they could deal with Pai Long without her.

Even though she told herself this, she couldn't stop the guilt twisting her stomach into knots, just like every time she walked out on friends because her father asked her to…

* * *

"Eh? Where did Mahoko-chan and Miyuki go…?" Atsumi asked, noticing that the familiar aura of her friend was gone. She glanced over her shoulder in time to see them whip around a corner and out of sight.

Kotomi followed her gaze. "I guess she had those kinds of plans…" she sighed. "I wish she told me…I thought her dad gave up on that after me and Nee-san cut off her hair."

"What are you talking about?" Atsumi floated closer. Kotomi and Mahoko were both troubled about something other than the battle, both were at a loss. If she could be even a little help…

"You see, Mahoko's family is trying to give her away--"

_THUD!_

The two girls, one a ghost and one not, jumped in surprise and looked back towards the fight. In the few moments they had been distracted, Yoh had been sent flying into the road almost right in front of them.

"Yoh!!" Kotomi rushed over. "Hey! Are you okay?"

"You're injured, Yoh-kun…"Atsumi frowned. Bruises were already blooming across his skin. If such punishing blows kept coming there could even be internal damage done.

"I'm fine, this is nothing," he insisted, wincing as he sat up. All this being tossed around was reeking havoc on his body. "I'm tougher than I look."

"I'm truly sorry about this, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru's expression was pained. He wasn't used to having such difficulties with an opponent. "If only I had something that resembles a sword with a hilt, I would be able to attack him outside his attack range."

"Outside his attack range…?"

"You mean…" Kotomi was hopeful. "You mean you could beat Pai Long without being in danger of getting hurt, right!?"

"Yes, that's right…but where we're going to find such a thing now of all times…"

Manta frowned, thinking. A sword with a hilt? Kotomi had a sword but she didn't have it with her. So if they couldn't use an actual sword then maybe they could…

"How shameful," Jun loomed over them with Pai Long at her side. "Blaming your lack of skill on your lack of a katana. If you don't want to get involved," she sneered at Manta. "Leave."

"S-She's serious this time!?" Manta stuttered, backing away slowly.

"Go!"

Without further provocation, Manta spun around and ran off with a blood curdling scream.

"M-Manta-kun!?" Atsumi cried, startled even more when Kotomi ran after the smaller boy. "Kotomi-chan!?"

"Look after the others! I'll bring him back!" she shouted back before running full sprint, catching up to Manta who was taking a break up ahead. "Hey…where do you think you're going by yourself?"

"Amidamaru said if he had something like a katana then Yoh-kun would stand a chance! So I have to go find one! It's the only way I can help out!"

"At the rate you run, you won't find one in time…"

"Hey! I'm trying as hard as I can…" he trailed off as he saw Kotomi kneeling, her back to him. "What?"

"Come on, free ride! I run faster than you!"

"But…"

"You're not the only one who wants to help Yoh, you know…"

Manta blinked for a moment, before grinning and scrambled onto the girl's back, holding tightly to her neck. "Mm!"

"All right!" Kotomi stood, clutching to Manta's legs as best she could. "LET'S GO!!"

With a cry that could make anyone think she was charging into battle Kotomi sprinted off into the dark streets of Tokyo, Manta on her back, both searching for the elusive katana-like object that would secure Yoh and Amidamaru a victory against Lee Pai Long…

* * *

"Damn it!" Manta kicked the metal grate blocking them from entering the closed sports shop. "I thought this place would be useful! Come on, Kotomi! We gotta go somewhere else!"

"I-I know, j-just let me catch my breath," Kotomi panted nearby, hands on her knees. Friends and family may consider her a fast runner, but most of her experience running was limited to short sprints usually less than a few hundred meters.

And she certainly never did any amount of running with a fifty-pound boy hanging off her back.

"Eh!? You need a break but we haven't…" for the second time that night, Manta trailed off when something caught his attention. There were headlights coming their way, and the head rider was carrying a wooden sword. "That's it!"

"What's it…? Manta? MANTA!?"

"Please let me borrow your sword!" Manta cried, after he managed to stop the bikers by running into the road.

"What was that!?"

"Please let me borrow it!" he begged, grasping onto the sword in question tightly.

"You wanna die!?"

"If I don't though, Yoh-kun will be killed…"

Yoh had always done so much for him. He had befriended the lonely Manta, he confronted Ryu when he found out that Ryu had injured Manta. That was more than what could be said for his other so-called friends who only scolded and laughed at him. With Yoh around, wandering aimlessly after cram school began regular, his home no longer his first destination but his final one.

Manta found himself letting Kotomi lead the way, hoping that strange ability to find things when she doesn't know what she's looking for will cause them to stumble across Yoh.

They'd pass a CD store and he'd peak inside, hoping to see a familiar mop of brown hair browsing the rows of CDs. They'd pass a convenience store he'd examine those leaving, wondering if Yoh'd walk out with a bag filled with instant food and they'd laugh at his ineptitude to cook because he spaces out too much.

Could Yoh cook? He wanted to know. He wanted to know so much about Yoh, about his new friends…for everything Yoh did for him, and would do for him, he wanted to help. He wanted to learn how to be a good friend, one that Yoh and the others would be able to speak proudly of, and thank for everything he's done for them, thank him for being their friend…

And acquiring a sword for Yoh and Amidamaru to use was the first step…

With all that in mind, Manta clung tightly to the sword, barely away of Kotomi's shouts and her attempt to rescue him from his attackers by giving the man a well deserved kick, and while she did manage to land a blow, he didn't go down and she was dragged away, struggling, by some of the other bikers.

Things were beginning to look bleak…when a familiar person, one that had always belonged to someone who was somewhat of an enemy, stopped a blow Manta was about to receive.

"That's enough," Ryu of the Wooden Sword said.

Things were starting to look up for the sword-searching duo.

Now they had an ally that knew a thing or two about dealing with uncooperative punks…and knew how to throw a punch.

* * *

By the time they returned, the bruised and battered and triumphant Manta offering Yoh the wooden sword they had acquired from Ryu, Yoh had been well on his way to loosing.

"Manta…those wounds…"

Manta grinned. "This is what you needed, right?"

"Manta fought greatly," Ryu explained. "Accept it."

"He really did do a great job," Kotomi squatted behind Manta, hands on his slight shoulders and smiling. "I was just the transportation, Manta did all the hard work. He's a real hero~!"

"H-Hey, don't say that! You put yourself in danger to help too! You almost passed out on the street from all the running," Manta insisted flustered, but smiling none the less, happy to have, finally, received a compliment from her…and she was apparently happy to give it if her even bigger smile was any indication.

Pleased that they were finally getting along, and touched that they went to such extremes for him, Yoh grasped the sword tightly and stood on his feet. "Can we do it?"

"Of course!" Amidamaru's deep voice rumbled, the smile evident in the tone of his voice. "After granting my plea…I, Amidamaru, will respond with my greatest succession technique!"

And, just as Amidamaru insisted it would when Yoh asked him if there was a way to win, the wooden sword provided great help as Yoh became able to handle Pai Long's next blows. He was then able with Amidamaru to use a long-range attack that delivered a shockwave through the air to cleanly slice off Pai Long's hat and, most importantly, the talisman.

Pai Long was free from Jun Tao's control.

But Yoh and company's ordeal with Pai Long was not yet over…

Pai Long was confused. Where was he? What was he doing here? He didn't remember coming to this street. He caught a glimpse of a display case nearby and wandered over, spying a poster for one of his films behind the glass. However, there were stickers tapped onto it: Returned after 17 years!

"What?! For 17 years…What have I been doing!?" enraged at his lack of understanding, Pyron punched the glass, easily breaking through it.

He was horrified to find that, even though there were glass shards embedded into his hand, he couldn't feel them at all. What…_was he?_

"It's sad to see you like this, Pai Long," Jun stood behind him, eyeing him. "You're already dead. A kyonshi should act like a kyonshi and listen to the doshi's words. Mine, Jun Tao's!"

Jun tried to regain control using charms, but Pai Long caught and destroyed it. Jun's words had brought his final memories to the surface…the man that had killed him spoke of this Tao family and him becoming one of their spirits.

"This is bad…" Atsumi frowned, anxious. "Pai Long's aura has changed…such a dark colour…He's being filled with negative emotions…"

It was the Tao family's fault that he was dead and he couldn't achieve his dream. He would exact revenge against the Taos for this injustice, starting with the woman who controlled him, who acted as though she was better than him: Jun.

Kotomi gasped, when Pai Long lunged at Jun forcing her to jump out of the way. "He's turned on Jun!"

"He's become angered by the news and he's riding himself of it by attacking Jun-san!"

Jun dodged and attempted to fight back against the bersek Lee Pai Long. However, she wasn't a fighter and soon she became cornered, and would have been struck down if she had not been saved by Yoh and Amidamaru, who caught Pai Long's attack with the borrowed bokuto.

"Hey, Pai Long," Yoh asked. "How does revenge feel? Fun? That can't be right. Even if you have your revenge on her, you can't change what's happened and that you're dead. Instead, let's find a way to spend your time more enjoyably."

"SHUT UP!" Pai Long roared, pulling his nunchuck free and snapping the bokuto in half in the process.

Yoh and Amidamaru were without an effective weapon once again, all they could do was block Pai Long's furious attacks and put themselves between Pai Long and Jun.

"Someone who can defeat Pai Long," Anna asked, after it had been determined the only way to stop Pai Long was to defeat him. "Can you think of anyone?"

"No, there isn't anyone--"

"Are you sure…?" Atsumi floated closer, hoping to coax something out of Jun with a kind voice. "He never lost to anyone?"

"Did he have a rival?" Kotomi squatted down near Jun, still frozen on the sidewalk from Pai Long's earlier attack. "Someone that pushed him?"

At first, Jun stared at the others blankly before realization dawned in her eyes.

"If I remember correctly…Pai Long was unable to defeat his Master."

Manta gasped. "That's right! Shamon!"

Kotomi and Atsumi blinked, cocking their heads to the right. Did Manta say "Shaman"?

"He was Pai Long's childhood teacher! He taught him the basics of Kung Fu. Even though he was only a master of martial arts, to Pai Long he was a teacher of life: Shamon!"

Kotomi and Atsumi blinked, cocking their heads to the left. Ohh…it's Shamon, not Shaman. Either way, it was good they found a solution.

"Shamon died a long time ago!" Jun protested.

"That's good then," Anna removed the blue beaded necklace from her neck. "I'll simply recall him back from the spirit world."

Suddenly, the temperature in the air dropped and Anna entered a trance, chanting a spell shaking her necklace so the beads clacked musically.

"I fondle once for the seed of the father. I fondle twice for the seed of the mother. I fondle thrice for the hometown. Mirror, descend upon my body. If this voice is heard in the other world, stand up! If the sound of these beads are heard, come out!"

As she finished chanting, spirit flames appeared around her, followed by the figure of a spirit. Once completed she called out to Yoh who leapt away form Pai Long, releasing Amidamaru from Hyoui Gattei, immediately entering another when he became encircled by Anna's necklace. This time, the Hyoui Gattei was with Shamon.

Whom apparently had hearing problems since he seemed unable to hear anything anyone said to him. Regardless, as Amidamaru reminded them, if Shamon truly was Pai Long's master, it didn't matter whether or not he was deaf and senile…as long as Pai Long stopped.

Pai Long, though, didn't appear to notice and simply kept attacking Yoh, however, this time the attacks didn't connect: Shamon was able to predict Pai Long's movements and dodge and move accordingly, even in mid-air. He was even able to land blows that sent Pai Long crashing into the ground with a single blow.

The battle continued as such a little while longer, with Pai Long sending blow after blow and landing none thanks to Shamon's skilful dodging. Finally, Shamon delivered the final blow that, though did not kill Pai Long, ended the fight by forcing him to accept defeat and quell his rage…which released Pyron's spirit from his body.

However, instead of going onto heaven, he decided to stay with Jun, so that he may fulfill his dream and perfect Dao Dan Do…thus everyone present left the battle, having gained something.

Jun learnt what about Yoh had influenced a change in Ren and Hotaru, Pyron a new calmness and a chance to perfect his dream. Anna was simply content, Ryu was amazed by the abilities of Shaman. Manta and Kotomi gained a respect for each other and confidence to believe that despite their inability to fight they could help Yoh and those important to them in their own ways, and Mahoko…

Mahoko…

* * *

"Makoooo~!" Kotomi sang, poking her head into Mahoko's room. "I came to play!"

Mahoko, whom had been staring out the window wondering how the fight had ended, blinked and looked away. "How did you…?"

"Your mom let me in!" she chirped grinning, causing Mahoko to sweatdropped. It figured. She loved her mother to death but she was so easily swayed by people who she adored. "I heard you had a rough night, so I came to take your mind off it!"

"You didn't bring some romantic flicks or something did you?" Mahoko eyed the video store bag Kotomi was fishing around in.

"No, no, I brought _these!_"

These turned out to be several zombie films that she swore were the lamest, cheapest and least frightening in history. Reassured by Kotomi's sweet smile, Mahoko let her put in the video and watched the movie.

After all, Kotomi wouldn't steer her wrong. Or so she thought until the blood of the first victim splattered across the screen and the movie degraded into a hammer-bashing, chainsaw-slashing, gut-splattering B movie.

No, zombies were bad. Very bad.

Mahoko spent the next two days, clutching her head, trying to protect her brains from hungry, un-dead corpses.

And Kotomi spent the next two days after that running away from Mahoko, in case the girl decided she needed to be admitted to a psychiatric institute for not having been bothered by all the blood--ketchup! They used _ketchup_ in the movie!--shed during the movie they watched the night after the battle with Lee Pai Long.


	11. Manta Oyamada and The Case

(Ichigo: Here we are! We've finally reached 10 chapters! Congrats to us!

Orenji: And Lucky Number 10 is Ryou's intro! Old readers might remember him...and the reason for the fruit puns.

Ichigo: Cookies to you guys if you figure it out! We'll explain it...at some point.

Orenji: But in the mean time, enjoy the chapter!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...how many times do we have to say it!?

* * *

Chapter 10: Manta Oyamada and the Case of The Mysterious Fruits and Split Souls

Limping up to her front door, Kotomi began to wonder if she was going about this whole "proving yourself to the spirit" thing the right way. She had borrowed some weights from Anna and took to running around her neighbourhood, but her half and hour run turned into a two hour one when she got lost and now it felt as though her feet might come off when she removed her shoes.

She supposed if she was going to prove to Atsumi she was dedicated by diligently running every day, she'd have to do so without complaints, but the throbbing in her legs and ankles made her think it might be difficult to avoid complaining when she couldn't crawl out of bed in the morning.

Finally reaching the front door, she sighed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She must be cheerful. Just in case…

"I'm home!" she cried, throwing open the door. As usual, silence greeted her and she smiled, disappointed. "Like anyone would answer…"

She sighed again, sitting down and removed her weights. She was pulling off one sneaker when she heard the clatter of something from the kitchen. "Hello?? Is someone there?"

No one answered, but suddenly a delicious odour floated through the air. It smelt like dumplings, Kotomi's favourite. Forgetting all about the pain in her legs, she dashed over to check. Sure enough, there was a steamer seated on the counter, filled with steaming dumplings.

When she heard a distinctly male chuckle, she tore her gaze from the tasty treats to the other person standing in her kitchen: A boy older than her, over six feet tall, with long orange hair in a ponytail, and a pink apron thrown over his clothes.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Shh!" he put a finger to his lips. "Just eat and be merry!"

The brunette eyed the dumplings cautiously, a hand on her stomach to silence the rumbling from her stomach. If he was who she thought he was, he wasn't a bad guy but…

"Is it really okay for me to eat them?"

"By all means! I made them for you, after all…using your Dad's recipe."

Kotomi stooped devouring the dumplings, her expression brightened. "Really!? Dad sent you? How is he? Is he really busy? Mom is! She's up to her neck in hospital work!"

The teen felt a twinge in his chest. Her bright, happy expression at the mention of her family hurt and brought back memories, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Keeping his true emotions from appearing on his face, Ryou tucked the envelope he'd been holding into his back pocket. She didn't need to see its contents just yet.

"A-Ah, he's fine. He says to hang in there until he can come here."

"Really?" her face crumpled. She had been hoping her dad would come and see her soon. "Then…please take care of me! Your cooking's delicious, by the way!"

He chuckled, resting his elbows on the counter as he watched her enjoy the meal he had happily prepared. "If I had my way, I'd be a chef rather than a servant of the Kansai clans."

"Ah…maybe you'll be one, one day," Kotomi didn't like being reminded how her family was in a position of power, and often used people in unfavourable situations to run errands. Which is the case with this boy, if he was who she believed him to be. Quickly she changed the subject. "Can I have another dumpling?"

"Mm! I'm at your command, Kotomi-san!"

"Ahh! Don't say that! That's embarrassing! I'm not the head of the family or anything! Don't make it sound like you're a servant!"

"I'm not good for much else up here, you know. I'd rather be with all the excitement back home."

"Sorry you had to come here just to look after me."

"I had to…I'm lucky your father is a kind man," the pony tailed male winced. "I'm lucky your father is a kind man. Instead of just kicking me out on the streets to make room for all the guests and your family coming to your home, he sent me here to look after you."

"They're all coming home now, huh? Well…make yourself at home here! As you can see, there's no one else here."

"There will be. Both my sister and I will be living here until further notice."

"Eh!? She's here too!? Ringo!? I mean, Rin-chan!?"

Ringo's brother looked startled. "You…You know who I am?"

"I…just had a hunch. Nee-san, talks about you a lot when I call. I didn't really know what you looked like but, she swears your food is the best ever…and this is the best dumpling I ever had."

"I'm Ryou," he said, finally divulging his name.

"I'm Kotomi," she held out a dumpling towards him, beckoning him to join her and eat. "Let's take care of each other, okay?"

Ryou smiled and settled down at the table. Maybe he'd be able to last living in a primarily human populated area if she kept her word and kept him in line…

Maybe.

* * *

"For crying out loud!!!"

Startled, many students walking into the school stopped, glancing around, looking for the source of the angry voice. When they found the source, they quickly looked away. A girl was glaring harshly at the very school building and every student who caught her eye. Despite her short stature and being confined to a wheelchair, her piercing red eyes and vibrant orange haired made her quiet frightening.

"They better have elevators or I'll never get to class if it's on the upper floors! Why do I have to go to school, anyway!? I already know enough of the high school curriculum to pass with astounding grades! Why do I need to go to middle school!? I mean, I appreciate that you didn't stick me in elementary school…but why!?"

"Ringo…it's because I love you," Ryou patted her head. "You're only 11, you need to play a little!"

"If you love me, send me off to university where I don't have to attend classes and I won't be looked on and hated," Ringo hissed.

"But, don't you want to meet Manta?" said Kotomi, trying to smooth out the argument. "He's your size! You guys would get along!"

"We'll only be here for a year, why bother making friends?"

"Ringo!" Ryou stood tall, glaring down at her, hands on his hips, donning his big-brother/mother persona. "You shape up and be kind and courteous or I'll send you back home. Where you will have to bunk with Cho!"

The tiny girl was aghast. "You wouldn't…!"

"Oh, you wanna try it sweetie?"

"Just watch yourself…that's all I have to say…"

Kotomi giggled, watching the siblings fight with amusement. "You guys are so energetic in the morning!" suddenly she heard the familiar clip-clop of wooden sandals and spun around, smile even bigger than it was before. "You guys! Good morning!"

"Is that…Kotomi-dono?" Amidamaru asked, floating along with Yoh, Manta and Anna.

"There's a powerful person nearby…" Anna murmured, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Are you awake yet, Yoh!?" Kotomi asked, waving.

"Who are they, Kotomi?" Ringo asked, trying to get a look at the approaching group.

"My friends!"

Ryou laughed, stepping towards his motorcycle parked on the sidewalk. "Well, you girls have a good day--Oh, and make sure to eat all your food…!"

"RYOU!" Mahoko appeared out of nowhere, jumping onto Ryou's back and slapping it heartily. "YOU'RE NOT A HOBO ANYMORE?!"

"YOU!" Ringo was aghast. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Mako~! Good morning! I actually have a lunch today!"

"Ohh," Mahoko leaned forward as Kotomi held up an object wrapped in a polka-dotted handkerchief. "Nii-chan made me one too but I brought money just in case."

"He still can't cook, huh?" Ringo snorted.

"Well, it's not that he can't cook. It's just that he likes things spicy," Mahoko peaked into her bag, eyeing the bento inside as though it may secretly be an explosive. One that could detonate at any moment. "I like them plain. Unless it's butter. Everything tastes good with butter."

"Your veins are gunna get clogged!" Kotomi protested, trying not to cringe when she remembered the large amounts of butter Mahoko would spread over even a single slice of bread.

"It's the arteries," corrected Ringo, rolling her eyes at Kotomi's incompetence.

Mahoko's comment died on her tongue and glanced at Ringo. She was even more arrogant than the last time she saw her. "Maybe one day you'll learn the definition of 'chilling out.'"

Ryou grinned, swinging onto his motorcycle. At least Ringo was talking to them and enjoying herself. "Well, I'm going to be late for my job interview," he announced, kicking the engine to life. "See you guys later!"

"Bye-bye!" Kotomi waved at Ryou's zipping down the street, gradually becoming smaller and smaller as he travelled further away. "Good luck! Don't forget when school let's out!"

"Well, I better head off to my classes. Have to climb those stairs to the second year classes, after all. Come on, Ringo," Mahoko grasped the handles of the wheelchair, grinning at the girl. "I'll take you to your class."

"Umm, introductions please?" Manta asked, finally speaking up. The whole interaction between the group of shamans had confused him. What was the girl doing here? What had the guy been doing here? Too many questions and he was hoping to get some answers.

"Ah! This is Ringo Kajitsu," explained Kotomi, gesturing towards the girl. "She's from Kansai too. Rin-chan, this is Anna Kyouyama, Yoh Asakura, Amidamaru and Manta Oyamada."

Ringo raised an eyebrow, sizing up Manta. This was the boy Kotomi was sure she'd get along with?

"He has a balloon for a head," Ringo noted.

"W-Well you have an ugly for a head!" Manta countered, immediately regretting his response. He should have thought that one through a little more.

"Manta, don't be mean," scolded Mahoko. "Ringo's just pissed because she had to leave her precious No-kun behind to come here! If I had a hot itako roommate I wouldn't wanna leave too…"

"N-No! I don't miss him! A-And he hates being called an itako! Itako's are girls, right!? He's not a girl! So don't call him an itako! And he's name's Nobu! He hates nicknames! And I don't miss him!"

"Ta-dah!" Mahoko produced her cell phone and with the push of a few buttons brought up the boy in question, showing the photo to Yoh and company. "No-kun! Notice the lack of human emotion!"

Leaning closer, Anna and Yoh peered at the image while Manta struggled to get a glimpse. It was a candid shot, taken without the subject's knowledge. The subject was a boy with shoulder length, silverly hair, with white, vacant eyes.

"He's blind?"

"Yep! He and Rin-chan help each other out! He's her legs and she's his eyes! It's a symbiotic relationship!"

"It's partnership and don't use such a weird term to describe it!"

"Ohh…like sea anemones and clown fish…" Manta mused

An image of a clown fish and sea anemone with her and Nobu's faces respectively flashed through Ringo's mind. Angry that Manta was making fun of her, she snapped.

"ARE YOU CALLING ME A CLOWN FISH? ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME!?"

Surprised by the outburst, Mahoko quickly started pushing Ringo's chair through the school gates and towards the building. "Oh would you look at the time!? Bye bye!"

"LET ME AT HIM! LET ME AT HIM!"

"Don't worry about her," Kotomi squatted before the pale Manta, trying to blow away her troubles with a smile. "She's just overly sensitive."

Manta paled even more. The fact Kotomi looked nervous did not make him think he was in any less danger than before.

"Let's not murder! Miyuki, take care of your guests, please!" Mahoko called, tossing the ghost a mortuary tablet that she had taken from Ringo's bag.

Miyuki recognized it immediately, and beamed as she caught it. "Come on girls! It's play time!"

The air thrummed for a moment before the tablet clattered to the ground and Miyuki's arms were filled with two brunettes whom were hugging her tightly.

"Mama!" cried the one with long pigtails twisted into rings and secured with pink ribbons. "We missed you Mama!"

The other with shorter hair nodded her head in agreement.

"Ah! Moeka-chan and Maeka-chan!" Kotomi glanced at Yoh and the others. "Ah, they're Mosuke-san and Miyuki-san's children if you didn't realize."

"They did pretty young, huh?" Anna watched the one with long hair, Moeka, pull her mother into the empty school yard to play, Maeka helping her.

"So sad…Wait!" Manta pointed accursedly at Kotomi. "You…You said Mahoko is descended from Miyuki, right!? How is that possible with little girls like this!?"

"Um…it's a kinda complicated situation…have you ever heard of soul splitting? It's when a piece of a person's soul breaks off and becomes a separate entity. It usually happens when the person has suffered a great amount of trauma."

"Or," added Anna. "The soul can be split by a Soul Shaman."

"Yeah, but I don't know which one is the case," Kotomi peered at the playing family over her shoulder. "I know Miyuki died of some sort of disease and that could have been traumatic enough for their souls to split…but they could've known a soul shaman too…I don't know."

"So, that girl was a shaman?" Manta asked, referring to Ringo. "Is that boy one too?"

"Yep! He is! But he's also kinda--AH!" Kotomi yelled as her watch alarm started beeping. "We're going to be late in 10 minutes! And I actually arrived early for once!! I'm going ahead!" she cried as she ran off. "I wanna see the look on Sensei's face when I show up before the last bell!"

"What….?" Manta trailed off, confused.

"I know!" Yoh gaped after Kotomi. "She's on time! It scares me too--"

"I NEED TO KNOW!" Manta screeched, grabbing Yoh's arm and somehow managing to pull Yoh along after him as he streaked in the direction the motorcycle had taken.

"Y-Yoh-dono!? Manta-dono?!" Amidamaru zipped after them, shocked. "What about classes!?"

"Amidamaru," Manta began, sagely. "It's time we learn more about shamans. Unless, you don't think you can handle the surveillance?"

"Of course I can! I'm proud to say I often did surveillance when I was young and was never caught! I am a master of camouflage!"

"Guy…this isn't really--"

"Bob Love!" Manta suggested. "Anything!"

"Let's go~!"

Sold. Hook. Line. And sinker.

* * *

"Alright, lil' guy," Ryou said, his hand against the cool glass of the door that led into the café where he had a job interview. "Stay out here like a good boy!"

"Alright!" chirped the voice of a child spirit with slightly-long dark hair and dark blue eyes.

"He does have a spirit!" Amidamaru murmured in a hushed voice, observing the small boy from his hiding spot with his master and Manta. "But he's so young…"

"YOU!" Manta cried, charging out of his hiding spot and tackling the young spirit to the ground. Wait…he _tackled _him. "Oh…"

"Owwwwwww…."

Yoh wandered over, Amidamaru floating behind him. "He's Shamanic…?"

Suddenly, the boy leapt to his feet, drawing the wooden sword he had tucked away in the sash of his beat-up yukata. "To protect Ryou-niichan, I'll fight you….little 4 year old!"

"W-Wait! We are not enemies!"

"What a cutie~!" Yoh squatted down to look the boy in the eye. "We're friends of Kotomi and Mahoko."

The boy dropped the sword, quickly picking it up and putting it back in his sash. "You're friends with Nee-chans!? Okay then, new Nii-chan!"

Yoh blinked. "That was fast…"

"I wouldn't hurt anyone unless I absolutely had to! Because I will never hurt innocent people!" his eyes slide to the corners staring at Manta, adopting a very fox-like look. "Him on the other the other hand…"

"I-I'm their friends too!"

The boy looked a little disbelieving but shrugged it off.

"So you're Ryou's spirit?" Yoh asked, assuming Ryou was the name of the teen who had entered the café.

"It appears that he is…though he's quiet young…"

"How old are you?" inquired Manta, brushing off his clothes.

"Um…5..594 years old!"

"So he's…" Amidamaru's face scrunched up in concentration, trying to derive the correct answer to the simple mathematic problem. "He's 7?"

"He'd be 6," Manta corrected.

"Oh, I see…" Amidamaru glanced at the large picture window beside him and observed the activity inside. "So, why is your, erm, Nii-chan doing here? Is this a place where you go to eat?"

"Nii-chan's here for a job-giving talk!"

Manta blinked. "An interview?"

"He's looking for employment? What for?" Amidamaru asked.

"Nii-chan says he needs more money because there's not enough money to keep him living here without it."

Manta chuckled deviously. This boy was the perfect resource to get more dirt on this Ryou guy. "So, Chibbi-chan, what else can you tell us about him, huuuuuh? Anything else we should know about this random guy?"

"My name isn't Chibbi!" he protested. "I'm taller than you!"

"Then, what is your name?" cut in Amidamaru before the boy could start crying or yelling or strike Manta with the wooden sword. He wasn't sure which the child would resort to when irritated.

The boy blinked, not expecting the question. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell humans. Ryou doesn't let me."

"Eh…? Why is that? I mean, what's the harm in sharing your name? We'll do the same."

"Rei," the boy answered after a moment of deliberation.

"Well then, it's very nice to meet you, Rei. I'm Amidamaru."

"Rei…why does that sound familiar?" pondered Manta.

As if to answer his question, another spirit materialized. This one had the eyes and dark hair that Rei did, only the hair was slightly longer, the eyes colder and less expressive, and he was older by twenty or so years.

"Rei-chan," said the man. "You shouldn't talk to strangers. Especially humans."

Yoh, Manta and Amidamaru were surprised. Where had he come from?

"Ryou-dono maintains three spirits," the new ghost explained, as if sensing they had questions to ask. "There is one more of us."

"Three…!? Can you do that, Yoh-dono!?"

Yoh tilted his head slightly, thinking, trying to find how he wanted to explain something foreign to the two humans. "Well, certain shamans can control lots of spirits at once…like how Jun can control a ton of kyonshi at the same time."

"Ryou-niichan had to leave because they thought he'd over throw the Sakuraii fam…" Rei trailed off, as if suddenly noticing what he was saying. "Back in. I'm…I'm going to go check up on Nii-chan now!"

The air shook and, just as suddenly as the older spirit appeared, Rei vanished.

"Isn't Sakuraii Kotomi-dono's family name?" Amidamaru questioned, speaking to Yoh in a hushed voice.

"Ignore him," commanded the other spirit. "He is but a child, after all."

"And who might you be?" Amidamaru disliked the tone of the other spirit's voice, it was almost condescending, as though he thought himself better than Amidamaru and the others for some reason or another.

"Ryou-dono's primary spirit."

"And your name is?"

Stone-cold eyes narrowed, surveying Amidamaru sternly. "That is none of your concern. But to the shaman," he bowed slightly, as though acknowledging that Yoh was on a similar level to him. "I am Rei, head of the Edo Police Force, Ex-leader of the Nara branch of the Mafia, as well as a warrior of the Mizuhara clan."

Manta's jaw dropped. "Yeah! You were in my history book!"

"He was? He is?" Amidamaru glanced between Rei and Manta, confused. "What is this history book? How do you know him?"

Ignoring the rules about politeness, Yoh pointed his finger at Rei. "Yeah, that's right! Didn't you establish the shaman clans in Kansai? Kotomi told me about you once when she was ignoring Manta."

"When was this!? I do not remember such a conversation taking place! Is this true, um, Rei-san?"

Rei-san smirked. "Obviously my reputation proceeds me. Naturally, I am the strongest of the shamanic spirits. Insult me and I will have your head."

Oh, joy. He was making death threats now.

"You…You said Ryou-dono had another spirit, did you not?" Amidamaru asked, flexing his fingers, trying not to clasp his sword. Such action would be taken as an act of aggregation, and Amidamaru would find himself in a battle he'd find rather fruitless and one he'd rather not be in.

"Oh, yea. The teenager. He said he had a date."

Amidamaru's eyebrows scrunched together, even more confused. "He…what? What is a date?"

Rei-san's expression was blank, deadpan even. "Are you inept?"

"No! There was no such term when I was alive, is all!"

"Nor when I was, but even then…"

"Let's find him!" screamed Manta, breaking up the string of archaic Japanese. He was starting to feel like he was reading a novel from the feudal area and two characters were bickering. "I have a hunch!"

"As long as you don't intend to disturb him," Rei-san stepped to the side, settling himself cross-legged in the shade of the building, looking every bit like a man that was about to do a lot of serious thinking. "I warn you, while I am more powerful he is much more…loose cannoned than I. He will not hesitate to destroy you should you anger him."

"Oh, thank you," Amidamaru bowed slightly, acknowledging Rei and bidding him adieu, before turning to Manta. "What are you planning to do to find this other spirit, Manta-dono?"

"Follow the motorcycle tracks."

Yoh and Amidamaru sweatdropped. Somehow, they expected something more creative from someone as smart as Manta.

"What is the point of all this anyway??" Amidamaru asked.

"I need to know more about this guy! So far all we know is that he's got THE strongest samurai in Honshu's history at his beck and call…and he's strong enough to be sent away by Kotomi's family! He's a threat to Yoh-kun! So let's go!!!"

For the second time that day, Manta grabbed Yoh and bodily dragged him off. This time, tears streamed down Yoh's face as he was dragged.

He was going to have all the skin scrapped off his back at this rate…

* * *

"Meeeow!"

"Hey now, you big suck. Don't do that, it tickles!"

Dumbstruck, Amidamaru, Manta and Yoh stared from the mouth of the alleyway. They had followed the tire tracks and what did they find? A teenager with most of his dark hair hidden under a handkerchief, squatting in an alleyway, playing with a stray kitten that was licking at the teen's pointer finger as though they were long time friends.

What was the world coming too?

"Hey, you're thirsty right, right?" he twisted the cap off a bottle of milk and poured it into a dish, both swiped from the café. "Meooowww! Yummy milk!"

"Is this the right guy?" Manta gasped, somehow finding his voice after being stunned speechless.

"Well, he fits the description…dark hair and blue eyes…"

Almost like the cats he was feeding, the teen's ears twitched, the milk bottle clattered to the ground and Yoh found himself lifted off the ground by his shirt's collar.

"You here to pick a fight, _Miss_?" hissed the teen.

"F-Fast…"

"No, we're not here for a fight! So please, unhand Yoh-dono!"

"Pffft," the teen dropped Yoh to the ground. "Whatcha going to do, Pops? Swing your ectoplasm at me?"

"If you are a shamanic ghost, I can still touch you."

"I doubt you could."

"Y-You're the one in the pictures!" Manta pointed at the teen, shaking with surprise and excitement. "You totally overthrew the Nara underground! You should only be 17!"

"I'm 16 and a half, actually."

"I thought that Rei-san overthrew the Mafia??" Amidamaru asked. "That is what he said, was it not?"

"He and I are one and the same," Rei explained.

"Soul Splitting…like Moeka-chan and Maeka-chan?"

"I'm the one who split them and myself. Well, actually, the little one is the one that split them. Either way, I'm a soul splitter. Able to reincarnate souls without knowledge of the five elements."

Limitedly, he told himself bitterly. If he could reincarnate or split any soul, Miyuki and his mother would have had a second life already…when he could thank them for everything.

"Over the course of my life," Rei continued, shaking off his blue feelings. "I've split my soul three times excluding when I died. When my soul died, it reincarnated itself."

"Into Ryou?" Manta asked, awed.

"Don't speak to me directly, you human," Rei spat, glaring at Manta.

Amidamaru glared, nearing his wits end. "Why are you all so against humans? Surely you realise they're not all bad."

Rei laughed. One void of any humour, and horribly bitter.

"Tell that to Ringo and Ryou. They're parents were killed by humans because they were found out to be shamans. Humans have yet to do my people any good. All they do is destroy to fill up space, than destroy what they built to make more space, then destroy each other. I became what I am because humans hated and despised me. Humans killed Moeka too. They killed my chances for a family, and even skewed shamans into serving under them. Humans are all trash."

As if to punctuate his statement, Rei spat twice, one at Amidamaru's feet, and once at Manta's.

"Hey, hey," Yoh cut in, not liking Rei's behaviour one bit. "We didn't come here to press our opinions on you, okay? Manta was just curious, we didn't mean to pry. All we want to know is more about Ryou and his reasons for being here."

"Get Kotomi to meet us at the café you passed in one hour and we'll explain everything," Rei was suddenly becoming accommodating. His difference in attitudes towards humans compared to shamans troubled Amidamaru. He had little knowledge of the shaman world, but he was sure this discrimination was unnecessary.

"In the meantime," Rei picked up a white kitten and placed it in Yoh's arms. "Take care of this guy. I need to get Rei calmed down. I can feel him mopping from here"

"What a cute cat…" Yoh murmured, scratching the kitten beneath it's furry chin, smiling a little as it purred, pleased with the attention.

"Cat's are the only worthy thing besides shaman to interact with the dead."

Yoh smiled sadly, continuing to stroke the cat. He did have fond memories of a cat…but to say they're the only thing worthy other than shamans…

"Is that so…?"

Rei snorted, sneering at Amidamaru. "Human spirits shouldn't be in the service of shamans. Hurry up and pass on. The only humans who remain on Earth have grudges or are servants. Once the grudge is resolved, the spirit passes on. You don't belong here. I'm betting you're really some kind of demon…" Rei snapped up the swords from Amidamaru's sash and grabbed Manta by his collar. "I'll keep these as collateral. I think the squirt needs a new sparring partner."

"Unhand Manta-dono!"

"What are you going to do? Human me to death? I'm gunna head out now, Pops. Don't have an aneurism while I'm gone, I wanna see the look on your face when I gip you again."

Laughing, Rei walked off, a screaming Manta in tow.

"Whoa…I never met such a strong spirit before--I mean, such a strong shamanic spirit before."

"I don't like him. He's a bully," Amidamaru grunted, disregarding Yoh's comment.

"Yeah…he must have had a hard life; he seems really old for a teenager."

"Indeed…I supposed we should go fetch Kotomi-dono then? Without any weapons we won't be able to retrieve Manta-dono ourselves."

"Yep…" Yoh adjusted his grip on the kitten and started walking. "We just have to follow his rules…"

* * *

"So, that's what he did," Yoh lamely said as a way of ending his hurried, and rather sparse, explanation of what had happened while they had been gone.

"Ah!" Atsumi clapped her hands together, excited. "You said the bully's name was Re--"

"You guys got gipped by Rei!" Mahoko laughed, finding the situation hilarious.

"I can't believe he's still doing that," Kotomi was embarrassed but not very surprised. Rei had always been rude and self-assured, not afraid of voicing his opinions. "I thought he'd somehow stop now that there's all these stray cats in Tokyo to take care of."

The cat in Yoh's arms yowled. Apparently it didn't like being referred to as a stray…or perhaps it was the part about being taken care of?

"I mean," Mahoko said, almost as if she didn't hear whatever anyone else was saying. "Rei's usually pretty chill as long as there aren't any humans around."

"Hellloooooo," Kotomi rapped Mahoko lightly on the head. "Manta and Amidamaru are humans!"

"Aww jeez. Well, don't worry about it! I'm sure Manta's fine if he's with Rei-chan!"

"Is that that little boy from before!?" Atsumi piped up, almost giddy. "He's so adorable! And Rei-san's so handsome! No wonder Moe-chan loves him so much~!"

"The Reis are pretty attached to her too," Kotomi began excitedly, pushing open the door to the café. "They're considered the Romeo & Juliet of Kansai--Ouf!"

Chuckling, Ryou pulled Kotomi's head off his chest. How did she not notice he was standing right outside the door? "You're still the same as always, huh? Always trying to make everything romantic, but whatever," he dragged her towards a booth in the back, waving at a girl with grey pigtails as she waved at him. "I guess we need to talk."

"Nee-chan~!" sang Rei-chan, waving from his spot beside Ringo and across from Manta.

"Rei-chaaaan!" Kotomi held out her arms, hugging him tightly, tears in her eyes. "I missed you! Did you have a good day!?"

"I got to see you again, didn't I? That makes it a good day all on it's own!"

Kotomi squealed and hugged him tightly, joining Atsumi in cooing over how adorable the boy was and how soft his hair was and just praising him in general. How could such an adorable child exist?

"Hey Hey Hey," Rei grabbed Kotomi's head, jerking her away from Rei-chan. "Calm down for a minute so we can talk seriously, okay?"

"Indeed," Rei-san materialized beside Ryou as the teen took a seat beside his sister. "There are certain messages that have to be delivered before our consciousnesses can be cleared."

Quickly, Yoh, Kotomi and Mahoko slid into the booth, sitting opposite Ringo, Ryou and the three Rei spirits. Their consciousness needed to be cleared? Why?

"Look," Ryou began after a long moment of pause. "You know how I said before…How I was kicked out because of lack of space? That isn't exactly true."

"Then…why?" Kotomi was rapidly growing nervous. She sensed bad things were coming. "Nee-san says you never lie."

"I was actually kicked out, because I was too strong for your family to handle. So I have to take a break from my training. Indefinitely. Until they call me back."

"For the tournament? The one with the elements??"

"I don't know what it is," Ryou's hands curled into tight fists. "But they…they seem not to want me to help out with it at all from here on out."

That was strange. It was mandatory that people from each Kansai clan participated in that tournament. Either Ringo or Ryou would have to participate, and since Ringo was in no condition…it made no sense.

"So you came here because you had no where else to go?" Kotomi asked.

"Gramps gave me some money and sent me here."

"E-Eh!? Grandpa!?" Kotomi tried to stand up, but quickly sat back down when her knees painfully collided with the edge of the table. "You talked to him!? How is he!? I haven't talked to him since I got here! I sent letters but he never wrote back!"

The same pain from the other day twisted in Ryou's gut and heart. Why did he have to be the one to deliver the news?

"Yeah, I talked to him. A while ago," he finally said once Kotomi had calmed down.

"How is he? Is his health okay?"

Ryou glanced up from the table-top for the first time, and gave Mahoko a look that told the teen more than enough information. "Depends on how you look at it."

"Hey! Don't tell me…!" Mahoko grasped Kotomi tightly in her arms, as if her embrace would spare Kotomi from what she was certain was coming. "R-Ryou…don't tell me this is why you…because Junsei is…"

"W-W-What!?" Kotomi tried to shove Mahoko away, trying to look Ryou in the eye. "What about Dad!? What's happened…!?"

"Junsei's taken over as head of your clan," Ryou explained, catching Kotomi's eyes, the simple action chilling her to the bone as effectively and quickly as a cold bucket of water poured over her head would.

"But…But that would only happen if…"

"About 6 months ago, soon after you left for Tokyo, Kotoya predicted that there would be a change to the Headship, saying that something horrible would happen to someone in the main house. And just as predicted, Gramps died a week ago. We don't know of what, but we think it's natural."

Kotomi could only stare. As if hearing it was natural was supposed to make it any better, natural could be hundreds of different things, couldn't it? Surely, there was a mistake. This was a joke. It was so vague and wishy-washy it _had_ to be a joke. _Had to be_.

Yet…everything fit. If they were worried about a threat against the main house, they wouldn't have accepted outside mail, it explained the short phone calls and clipped tone whenever she called home, it would explain why her mother spent so much time in the hospital, burying herself in work.

_They all knew_. Everyone but _her_.

"I'm sorry Kotomi…but Junsei won't be coming to live with you guys…your mom'll probably have to go home as well. I'm sorry," Ryou's reached across the table to pat her arm, in what he hopped would be a comforting gesture, but he stopped before he could stretch his arm out fully.

Tears were running slowly down Kotomi's face, staring at him as though he himself had killed her grandfather, that he nailed the final nail in the coffin.

Keeping his eyes downcast, Ryou stayed quiet.

What could he, an outsider, say in a situation like this to make a girl he barely knew feel better about losing someone so important to her?

What could anyone say?


	12. Revelations

(Ichigo: Ouf...finally, a new chapter!

Orenji: And thus comes the conclusion of the Kajitsu intro arc! Hope you enjoyed it everyone!

Ichigo: Also enjoy the intro of two minor OCs that will play an important role later on in the story! Next up...Horo Horo!

Orenji: R&R everyone!)

Disclaimer: If we owned Shaman King, it wouldn't have ended and the awesomness would continue onwards until the end of time...

* * *

Chapter 11: Revelations

"Why?"

Everyone looked up, dragged from his or her somber thoughts by Kotomi's angry and bitter voice.

"Why didn't they tell me anything? They knew, so why didn't anyone tell me?"

"It's all hush-hush," Ryou said, folding his arms on top of the table, feeling comfortable enough to be himself now that Kotomi's tears had mostly dried up. "It seems that all the elders of the three main clans are getting sicker. Even Mahoko's grandfather is going fast."

"He's never been the type to be sick…" Mahoko murmured.

"What's going on then? For Grandpa to have died…he wasn't sick when I left and he's a good person, so why did he die?"

"Ichiei's grandfather died recently as well."

Kotomi and Mahoko gasped. Ichiei's grandfather too!? Both girls remembered spending warm summers in Kyoto at the Mizuhara property, crushing on Ichiei who was six or seven years older than them, and eating candy given to them by Ichiei's gentle grandfather.

If the Tachikawa were the richest clan, and the Sakuraii were the largest clan, the Mizuhara clan had the most military power. There were several branch families and rumour had it that many people from those families spent their entire lives training and fighting, following orders from the head family and, rarely, acting independently or for hire.

This made the fact Ichiei's father had passed away even more disturbing, Mizuhara's rarely got sick…especially those from the main family as they had easiest access to the strong herbal medicines produced in their greenhouses. Surely, they could have nursed the seventy-something old man back to health?

And Kotomi's grandfather…he had only been eighty-one. The Sakuraii family traditionally had very long lives. Kotomi's great-grandmother was still alive and training children at the ripe age of one-hundred-and-five. Yet Kotomi's grandfather, a man that had barely ever been sick in his entire life, died 'naturally' twenty-four years before his mother. Something was up…but what?

Whatever it was, Ryou didn't seem too eager to divulge this information, his entire posture and expressions seemed relaxed and comfortable, but they were forced, false. He was actually on guard and cautious. Sensing the futility, Kotomi changed the question she had been about to posed.

"We…don't even get to go to their wakes, do we? Not even Grandpa's…"

Ryou shook his head. "You know how it is: Buried fast, inaugurated fast. I'm pretty sure Kotoya's taken good of your grandfather though. He passed on peacefully after seeing the future."

"Is that so…? I'm glad…but still…" Kotomi gripped the fabric of her skirt tightly. "I can't believe this is happening…"

"It's a pressing time for shamans."

"Is it because of the tournaments?"

Ryou nodded. "Of course. Everyone you trusted becomes your enemy."

"Look, Ryou," Mahoko cut in as soon as she saw Kotomi open her mouth to ask another question. "With all due respect, I think Komi needs to calm down. I'm going to take her to my place to sleep in a nice bed tonight."

"I-It's okay, you don't have to do that, Mako! I mean, your mom just came back from America, I don't want to intrude."

"You won't, she loves you. Besides, taking care of you when you're upset is part of my job description as your best friend."

"W-Well…alright…" Kotomi gave in rather easily. She just didn't have the energy to fight. "But just for tonight."

"Let's go then."

"Bye-bye everyone," Kotomi waved sadly, almost limply, as Mahoko led her away.

Everyone stayed silent for a long moment, watching the bereaved leave the building, towed away by her friend who was on her cell phone, probably trying to get them a ride so they wouldn't have to deal with buses and subways to get to Mahoko's house. The teens inside watched as much as they could, from the window beside their booth, and eventually Daisuke's truck appeared and the two girls scrambled inside and the truck pulled away.

"It seems things have become difficult for Kotomi-dono," Amidamaru spoke first, pushing Atsumi's head onto his shoulder, stroking her hair.

He instinctively knew she was going to start crying sooner, rather than later. Atsumi was too sympathetic and compassionate not to be upset by something like the death in the family of a person she knew, however briefly.

Sure enough, as soon as he offered her a comforting and secure place to release her emotions did tears well up in her eyes. Sniffling loudly, she hid her face in the dark material of his yukata, hugging him around the middle as tightly as she could and began to cry.

"Oh, shhh…don't cry," Amidamaru continued to stroke her hair, slightly uncomfortable. He had never dealt well with crying women. The sight of tears made him nervous, afraid to say or do the wrong thing and worsen the situation. "She'll be fine. She's a strong girl and she has people who love and support her to help her get through this."

Uncomfortable with the display of affection occurring to his left, Manta quickly glanced in the other direction at Yoh. "T-This day's really been shocking hasn't it, Yoh-kun? …Yoh-kun?"

Manta blinked. Yoh was resting his chin in the palm of his head, staring out the window. It looked like he was doing nothing more than people-watching, but Manta had been around Yoh long enough to realize this was one of Yoh's thinking positions.

The pensive look on Yoh's face indicated that, whatever thinking Yoh was doing, was pretty profound.

"Yoh-kun?" Manta tried again, poking him in the side the way Kotomi had taken to, as of late.

Immediately, the boy snapped out of it and he glanced at Manta, something flashing across his eyes, surprise then disappointment, before the regular warm, friendly light returned. "Hmm? What is it, Manta?"

Manta blinked. Maybe Yoh had been hoping Kotomi had come back? At least, that's what Yoh's eyes seemed to tell Manta…

"What's up, Yoh-kun? You looked deep in thought…"

"Mm…" Yoh looked away, assuming his position from early. "I…was thinking that I'd call Gramps tonight."

Ringo looked up from her glass of apple juice, for the first time that evening, and eyed Yoh curiously. "You're going to call your grandfather, Asakura-kun?"

Yoh turned to glance at her, and smiled. "Yeah, after all that's happened today, I kinda feel like I should."

"You're a nice guy, aren't you? Most people wouldn't call their grandparents over something like this," Ringo looked smug, stirring her drink with a straw. "I guess Kotomi isn't completely hopeless if she found a guy like you…I have to admit, she has some good taste," she took a sip of her drink before continuing.

"Yours and hers taste in friends though…" she trailed off, glaring at Manta, looking as though she might use the straw she had just used to consume her drink to blow some of her juice at Manta, in lieu of spitting at him. "Is still up in the air…"

Though she trailed off again, Yoh understood what she meant. She meant that if it turned out he didn't really consider Manta a friend, she'd reconsider his and Kotomi's tastes. He could understand having a dislike of humans after what happened to their family, but their indiscriminate nature was starting to annoy Yoh. They knew nothing about Manta or Amidamaru…

"Yeah, well…I don't know much about that," Yoh stood, smiling a little, and waiting for Manta to hop out of the booth before following him. "I'll see you guys later. I have to go home before it's too late to calm Gramps. If I wait too late both he and Anna will scold me!"

"Yeah, I should get going too," Manta said, holding the Manjien tight. Even if Rei-chan had been rather nice to him, the hostile air that the other Reis and the siblings had around him had made him nervous. He hadn't even wanted to stay for the discussion but out of curiosity and for his friends sake he stayed.

"Then take care," Ringo said, nodding at Yoh before returning to her drink. She didn't acknowledged Manta's farewell, not that he was surprised.

"Are you coming with us, Atsumi?" Amidamaru asked, pulling Atsumi's head away from his chest so he could clearly hear her response. "You still seem upset. You can come with me, if you like. That way you won't be alone…"

"Mm…" Atsumi nodded. She was eager to leave this place and go somewhere else, one where she could just sit with Amidamaru, resting comfortably in his arms, and relax…just like old times.

"Then come along," Amidamaru turned her to face the door, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, before glancing over his shoulders and bowing his head at the Reis, Ringo, and Ryou, honouring them with respect, despite the fact they had been less than hospitable towards him and the others. "Good evening to you all."

Ryou and Ringo watched Yoh and company leave the café, and disappear down the street. Now that they were gone, Ringo sat up straight, and sighed. Finally, they were gone. She was eager to get out off this booster seat she was sitting on.

She glanced up at her brother. "What do you think is going to happen now, Aniki? Now that they know almost everything…"

"That doesn't matter, Ringo. These guys are simpletons, aren't they? People like Kotomi, Mahoko and this guy…" Ryou trailed off. He never got the name of headphone-wearing boy. Oh well. No matter. "They haven't lost everything like you and I have. They don't know anything at all."

"But…if things go the way that's been predicted…if the true purpose for the elements that reside in the caves is revealed and it's use becomes a necessity. They'll lose a lot, won't they?"

Even if Ringo didn't like Kotomi and the others, per say, that didn't mean she wanted others to suffer the way she has. No one deserved to suffer like that. As much as she wished people could understand her situation…she also didn't want to wish it onto anyone.

"Now, now. We don't know WHO'S going to lose a lot. It could be them, it could be someone on the other side of the world totally unrelated to them. But…I know you and I will. But that's okay, because I'm ready."

"You shouldn't support everyone on your own shoulders, Aniki," Ringo was frowning. She didn't like that he was willing to go so far over something that happened so long ago, and all on his own. "My…My legs are getting better…I have slight feeling below my knee now."

"We'll fix you up," Ryou assured her, cutting her off before she tried to demonstrate and potentially injured herself further. "Once we get back to Nara. We'll have Atsumi, won't we? If she, Azumi and Shiran are all operating…"

Ringo hummed in acknowledgement, drumming her fingers on her legs in a nervous gesture. "Still, I'm nervous. I don't like many people touching me, and I don't know those three very well…You really think something like this will help me?"

"Nobu's working his little blind butt off," Ryou patted her head comfortingly. "He'll figure it out eventually. I hear that…he's even asking for special help…"

"W-What!? He's…He's not working that hard, is he?" Ryou gasped out, blushing, touched by Nobu's actions even if she doubted them. He was always so sweet to her…

"He's even testing out actual poisons," Ryou smirked, glad that Ringo seemed to be cheering up, and forgetting about the past event that caused her to become disabled. "Guess who got him some of the top-secret formulas?"

"No way…is…is Ichiei helping him?" Ringo guessed, reasoning that since Ichiei was going to be the future head, he could get his beloved little brother the formulas.

Ryou shook his head. "Think a little harder…"

Ringo paused for a moment, before her expression brightened. It couldn't be…

"Is it…Is it someone from the branch family? One of the assassins?"

"Bingo!"

"No way…! Is it him…is it Uchito?"

"The best of the best," Ryou poked his tongue out at her, flicking her forehead. "It took you long enough! You getting dumb?"

Ringo clutched at her forehead and glared.

"Be quiet…Either way," she added after a pause, during which she rubbed at her forehead. "For Nobu to even attempt to request help from a member of the assassin families…for him to go this far just for me…I kinda feel guilty about leaving him there on his own with his lovey-dovey siblings. Not only that, I won't get to see him until we go back to Nara, but with all that's going to be going on there, I might not even get a chance to thank him for all he's done for me."

Ryou laughed. Nobu was the only one Ringo ever worried about treating fairly. He supposed that was just a by-product of the two of them having such a close relationship that they didn't really become friends with anyone else. "Let's go home, Ringo. That's the best thing to do. We'll have the entire place to ourselves."

"What are we going to do, Aniki? Since we have the house to ourselves," she asked, clutching tightly onto his t-shirt as he lifted her out off the booster seat to settle her back into her wheelchair which was parked nearby.

She would've preferred not having to get out of the chair, but there wasn't any tables they could sit that could accommodate her. So, just this once, she swallowed her pride and let herself be helped.

"I dunno…I'll make you an apple pie or something. Yeah, I'll make you an apple pie. That's what I'll do."

"Ahhhh, I'm forever cursed to eat things with apples in them and like them because of my name, aren't I?"

He laughed cheerfully, settling her into the wheelchair. "Exactly! Exactly! You'll just have to live with it!"

"Then what are you supposed to eat?" she countered, smirking up at him. "All the good and tasty fruits?"

Ryou grinned, laughing slightly before smacking Ringo upside the head. It was okay to make puns about her name, but not his…especially when it was such a horrible and bad pun.

"Ah, you're going now, Ryou-kun?" the silvery-haired girl from before trotted over, clutching a stack of menus she was returning to the stack they kept at the back of the café. "All your business is taken care of? You don't have another shift today, do you?"

"Ah, nope, I don't!" Ryou smiled, friendly. "I'm taking my sister home now."

"Oh!" the girl bent down and smiled at Ringo. "It's very nice to meet you again! Did you like your drink?"

"Y-Yes," Ringo leaned back a bit, not used to being so close to a human girl.

The girl, straightened and smiled. "Well, have a safe trip home then!"

Ryou laughed. "We will. You going to be okay locking up, Chikaru?"

Chikaru smiled. "I'll be fine. I do it every night!" she waved, running off. "Have a good evening, you two!"

As Chikaru opened the door to the staff area beside the siblings, voices floated out.

"Why does Ryou-san pay attention to Chikaru!" a girl's voice said, sulking.

"Because she's cute, cute!" another girl said, teasing Chikaru and the other girl. "When's the wedding?"

"E-Eh!? I don't…I don't intend to date him or anything!"

"Then I'll have him!"

"He's not into you," said a boy.

"You could have me, Maki-chan…" another boy said.

"Get real! As if I'd date you!" Maki said.

Ryou kept the smile on his face as he wheeled Ringo out, the voices fading as they walked away and as the door closed behind Chikaru.

'Stupid humans,' he thought.

They honestly thought that he cared about them. About their lives and their feelings and well-being in general. It was all an act. You needed money to survive in this world, and that meant interacting with humans. This was the only reason he wore this false façade, this mask. He needed to get along with humans to gain money…so he pretended to like them, to be pleasant and likeable…but he didn't like them at all.

His heart had turned black a long time ago, the few spots that were a little softer, a little less charred and burnt, were extremely rare.

One for the family he lost. One for Ringo, the family he had left. One for his best friends, Daisuke and Ichiei. One for Harumi, the girl that befriended him on that cold, snowy day…

Those were the only people he cared about, the only people who had his undying devotion and loyalty. The only people he felt feelings of love, family and camaraderie towards.

Everyone else had to prove their worth, until then…he wouldn't spare them a second thought.

Especially humans. If he had the power, if he had the courage…

He'd exterminate them all.

Ryou and Ringo drew to a stop, waiting for the lights to change, so they could cross. While Ringo glanced at the road, watching a transport truck zip past them, he was glancing up at the sky and at the many glittering stars dotting it.

Soon though, soon he'd have the power to exterminate them…

Either with the power of the Element that would soon be his, or with the Great Spirit…

And when he had that power…

Not a single human would remain.

* * *

"Find a worthy human…Where am I going to find a worthy human? That's like finding a bug that can heal the sick…"

Sighing, the teen let go of the scroll's end, watching the paper snap back and curl around itself before tapping it against his tanned cheek. He had been sent from Kansai to find a worthy human in time for the tournament in Nara…why he didn't know, nor did he ask. It wasn't his place to question his orders.

And this was one set of order he'd really like to question.

He'd never liked humans, he saw them cause nothing but trouble. He heard about the Kajitsu incident when he was still in training and he couldn't understand why such horrible creatures were still around. And yet he was supposed to find one and take them with him and protect them?

He shuddered. Why couldn't one of the other Mizuhara branch members get this mission?

Blinking, he pierced down from his seat on a roof edge when the loud sound of clanging bells rent the air. Below him, Chikaru was exiting the café through the back door.

"Look at her down there," he murmured, watching with interest as she walked towards the street. "She's so tiny in the dark."

If Chikaru had glanced up, she would've noticed piercing red eyes watching her from above, but at the moment she was more concerned with dealing with any potential threats on the ground, around her. It was store policy to have two people close up, but the other person, Suji, had left early because he had the start of a fever.

Chikaru had assured him that she would be fine, but she was starting to regret not asking Ryou or Fumio to come and walk her home.

She jumped slightly, stopping when she heard a bottle clatter to the ground. Someone had stumbled into the alleyway and knocked over a garbage can.

"What are you doing out this late by yourself?" slurred the man that had stumbled into the alleyway. He reeked of alcohol and was particularly aggressive, a fact made perfectly clear when he grasped Chikaru's arm. "I'm going to meet my friends, you should come too! I promise you it'll be fun!"

"N-No thank you, I'd rather just go home--Hey, let go!" she tried to jerk her arm away when his grip increased but he was unyielding.

"Come on…just for a little while…"

"No!"

"And they're all despicable," the boy snorted, shaking his head at the scene below, rising to his feet. "He's just grabbing at her."

"Come on," the male below spoke. "Just for a little while--OW, OW, OW, OW!"

Startled, the dark-haired boy on the roof turned and glanced behind him. The girl, Chikaru, had began striking the man with her bag. The violent action surprised the man enough that he let go of her arm and quickly Chikaru climbed on top of the garbage cans in the alley way and jumped up, pulling herself onto the ladder leading to the fire escape.

"Hey, get down from there!" shrieked the thug as he lowered his arms and found Chikaru scrambling up the stairs, ascending level after level, heading towards the roof.

"No way!"

"H-Hey!" the young man on the roof glanced down, watching Chikaru climb higher with a slight look of horror and concern. "This is too high up for you! Ah, crap, is he following her!?"

He glanced down, and sure enough, the thug was noisily following the girl, his uncoordinated movements knocking over the trash can and with a loud grunt, he managed to pull herself up and climb the ladder.

"You're _really_, pissing me off, Girlie!"

Against her better judgement, she looked down and saw him stomping around below, the force and his weight causing the structure to rattle violently. "Shoot, shoot, shoot!" she cursed, running up the stairs again, struggling, tumbling down repeatedly as a violent shudder caused her to lose her balance.

At this rate she was either going to fall right into the bad guy's arms or fall off the fire escape and plummet to the pavement.

Realizing this, Chikaru jumped as high as she could once she reach the last level and managed to grab onto the edge of the roof. Struggling she managed to pull herself up and climb onto the roof. Thoroughly out of breath, she looked up and found piercing red eyes staring down at her.

"W-What are you!?" she wheezed. "Who are you…!? Oh, it doesn't matter…! Please just help me!"

"I-I…" he was uncertain. What was he supposed to do? Was he allowed to interfere? Regardless of whether or not that was allowed, it somehow seemed wrong to leave this girl on her own. "Oh, alright…" he helped her to her feet. "Stay here," he instructed before jumping off the roof, the fire escape clattering and shaking violently as his weight slammed into the metal.

Stumbling to a stop, the much bigger man glared at the newcomer. "What…!?"

"Listen to me closely," he grabbed a fistful of the man's shirt and easily lifted him off the ground, glaring with his blood red eyes. "You are going to leave the lady alone now and from here after, you got it? I don't want to have to hurt you."

"I can do whatever I want, shrimp!" hissed the man, trying to appear cool and calm, but he was already beginning to sweat. While the boy was of a decent size and build, he shouldn't be able to lift him several inches off the ground with one hand.

The slighter male peered closely at the man in his grasp. He could tell reasoning wouldn't talk the man out of this. Sighing, he released his grip, kicking off his shoes and rolling up his sleeves. "Fine. I don't like fighting people I know I'll beat, but if I must…"

He glanced up at Chikaru who was peering down from the roof. "Cover your eyes. This will to quick for the human eye to see."

Ignoring the beginnings of smack talk from his opponent, he charged, delivering a swift upper cut with the ball of his hand to the man's jaw, and easily flipped him over the railing, watching as the man crashed into an overflowing dumpster below.

"He's…gone?" Chikaru asked, carefully descending the stairs and joining her saviour.

"Yes. You can go now."

"Thank you so much for helping me," she bowed at the waist, trying to convey the degree of her gratitude. "I'm Chikaru Mizukoshi…and you are?"

"Whatever you want to call me," Chikaru blinked. Why couldn't he just tell her his name? "Ah, can you get down from here?" he asked.

"I…I think so…" she cautiously approached the railing and peered down. The garbage can she had used as a platform to jump off of was laying on it's side, contents spilling out of it. "It's…not that big of a drop, right?"

"Hmmm…" the mysterious boy joined her at the railing, mentally calculating the distance to the ground. "It's approximately a one-story drop. Do you think you can handle that?"

She turned pale. She couldn't even jump four steps without her knees being sore. "N-No…definitely not. Is it really that high?"

"Yes…and you're currently looking down at a 34 degree angle of declination. Unless you have enough bodily force to last that long, you'll most likely break two vertebrae, perhaps your neck and one of two ribs. If you're lucky."

Chikaru turned an odd shade of grey. She didn't need to hear that much. "Are…Are you a doctor or something?"

"Not at all. I'm not smart when it comes to science. But…let's just say drops like this are petty for a person of my profession," he pulled Chikaru onto his back, making sure she was secure before jumping off the fire escape, landing easily and painless on his feet a story below.

Shaken by the sudden movement and jump, Chikaru managed to squeak out only, "A-Are you a ninja or something?"

He chuckled, settling her on the ground. "That's a secret. Usually I charge a fee of a few thousand yen, but since you're so cute, I'll wave the fee," he stepped back, coming under the glow of a street lamp. "Mm. Definitely a cute girl."

Chikaru's brown eyes widen and she frantically waved her hands. "N-No! I'm not cute at all! I- mean, my co-worker Miki-chan is cute but not me…but…but thank you anyway! Um…"

She paused, squinting at him, tilting her head to the side. Red eyes, short black hair slight long around the face…he reminded her of a character from that anime her little sister watched a lot…Ramen Ninja or something…and with the way he fought that guy and the way he jumped off the building with her on his back with ease…

"Nin-san?"

Nin blinked, eyeing the girl closely. "This…is…You're the first girl not to stutter when they've seen me…"

Chikaru blinked in return. "Eh? But you seem very nice! You helped me out! Why would I be scared of you?"

More blinking. "No…I mean you're the first not to stutter when they see my face."

Even more blinking. "But…you're very handsome! You're not scary at all!"

"That's what I meant…"

"Oh….Ohhhh…"

Chikaru fell silent. She was trying not to concentrate too much on how handsome he was. She never got along well with handsome men…they were always a tender spot with her. With her tendency to fall head-over-heals easily and her shy nature, Chikaru's feelings for handsome customers at the café often ended up one-sided and in heartbreak.

"Anyway…" Nin coughed uncomfortably. "I'll take you to the entrance of your shop…you should be able to safely make it to your destination from there."

And then, like a gentleman would, he offered Chikaru his elbow, ready to escort her. Surprised, she took hold of it with her two small hands, letting herself be led forward and around the corner. Nin was certainly an interesting fellow…

"Ah, um…" she cast around for a suitable topic. "As a thank you for helping me, you can come to the café for free whenever you want--"

"Chikaru!!" a female voice cried, rushing out of the shop and towards her. "Oh thank goodness you came back safe and sound! We were so worried when we found out that you went out on your own!"

"I-Izumi-san!?" Chikaru cried, surprised by the presence of her red pony tailed, green-eyed, busty co-worker and classmate. "I thought you guys went home!"

"I did! Up until I heard Suji went home sick and left you to close up!"

"It's okay! I'm fine! Nin-san helped me out!"

Izumi raised an eyebrow, finally noticing Chikaru's escort. "Heeeeeeey, Miki! Get out here! We have a super-bishie over here! He makes Ryou look ugly!"

"HIII!!!" cried a black haired blur rushing by. Chikaru was almost thrown aside but Miki didn't seem to notice and instead was turning on the charm, throwing her long mane of black hair over her shoulder. "I'm Miki! And who might you be? You wanna go out some time?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Nin grinned, turning his back to them and grinned over his shoulder at them. "But thanks for the invitation, I'm flattered."

"Awww! Come on, just once--"

"Mi-Miki-san!"

Miki looked back at Chikaru, raising an eyebrow. "Yeaaaah…?"

Chikaru blinked, Uchito's smile had widened, and with a wink and a mouthed word of thanks he was gone.

"No…it was nothing…Let's go, it's late…"

Grumbling, Miki followed Izumi and Chikaru.

Softly, with barely a sound, Nin appeared back on the roof, grinning and holding his hair out of his face as a breeze swept through the city, whistling through the alleyways and gaps.

She was certainly an interesting girl for a human…

His smirk widened and he leapt once again into the air, soaring over to the building opposite, and leaping off again.

It was time to get started on his mission.

He would have to hurry.

Soon both tournaments would start…

And without the human, without winners and shamans to absorb what lay within the caves of Nara…

The creatures from the Void and would awaken and their master, in its entirety, would escape…

Bits and pieces of the master, the leader, had already escaped inside foolish shamans who wandered into the caves while weak of mind…susceptible to false promises and hopes…

They couldn't let anymore of it get out. If they did the world would face a great disaster at it's hands once more…

He glanced up at the sky. The full moon was hanging in the sky, casting an eerie glow, bathing everything in a strange light. Moeka and Kotoya had both mentioned a moon like this would hang in the sky on the decisive night…the night that would decide whether they failed or succeeded.

Grim faced, he jumped higher, landing softly on a balcony of a tall building, and he looked at Tokyo sprawling out in front of him.

He only had until Largo crossed the sky to find the perfect human for the ceremony…

Failure was not an option.


	13. Lil' Boy Blue's Blues

(Ichigo: New chapter ! HOROOOOOOOOOO!

Orenji: We don't got much to say besides, read and review! HORROOOO!

Ichigo and Orenji: HOROOOOOOO!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...especially not Horo Horo

* * *

Chapter 12: Lil' Boy Blue's Blues

"Ahhhhh! There's nothing better than an ice cream after a long day of training, don't you think?"

Yoh nodded, showing his agreement with Kotomi. Between them they carried some groceries and an ice cream each. It was early evening, the sun having already set on the district of Funbari. It was rather peaceful and relaxing. With this kind of atmosphere, Kotomi could almost think she and Yoh were coming home from a date, or they were a young married couple doing chores together, or--

"You're both going to get in _huge_ trouble if Anna-san finds out you cheated using the change to buy those things!" Manta scolded.

Kotomi sighed, her illusions shattered. She forgot Manta had come along as usual. He had been unusually quiet so she had forgotten about him.

"It's okay," Yoh was grinning as he spoke between bites. "You're in charge of the money so you'll get the brunt of it!"

"Exactly!" Kotomi cleared her throat, preparing to change it to the tone of voice she'd use to explain the situation to Anna. "We'll just say something like 'Manta gave us some money and so we decided to get some snacks since we were hungry. We had no idea it was the change from the groceries!'"

"Exactly!" Yoh grinned, laughing.

Manta sputtered, in disbelief. He thought they had grown out of ganging up on him like that!

"WHAT WAS THAT--"

"Hey, it's a snowman!" Yoh said, bending over to examine the man-like structure made with what appeared to be snow.

"You sure it isn't a riceman? We used to make little ones with rice in Nara…" Kotomi patted the snowman's white head. "Hmm…it's cold. It feels like it's made out of real snow…"

"I wonder if he's made out of real boy then…"

"But it's not quiet the season for snow yet…I mean, me and Manta's birthday's just passed--What do you mean by that, Yoh?" she blinked, looking at where he was pointing with his ice cream bar. "WHOA! IT'S A BOY!"

Forgetting his irritation at being ignored, Manta zipped over. "A boy!? Is he sick!? Is he hurt!?"

Kotomi handed Yoh her ice cream since he had a free hand after finishing his, and knelt down beside the boy and checked his vitals like her mother had taught her. "No…he's just unconscious and a little weak…But where's he from? He's wearing shorts and a winter jacket in Tokyo…I don't know about here, but it doesn't get cold enough for jackets in Nara for another month or two!"

Yoh squatted beside her, snickering. "He's also got a funny hair style! Is he a rock star?"

"It doesn't feel gelled or sprayed," Kotomi touched the head of blue spikes, surprised by the soft texture of the hair. "Maybe it froze that way, or something?"

"Hmm…." There was the sound of plastic bags rustling and then Kotomi jumped as something wet, and cold brushed against her cheek.

"W-What!?" Kotomi held her cheek and looked back. Yoh had a slice of fish hooked on a fishing rod, dangling it in front of the blue-haired boy's face. "Y-Yoh…"

"Hmmm~?"

"Is that my ice cream bar in your mouth?"

Yoh grinned, the wooden stick moving up and down as he laughed.

Kotomi sprouted a vein and grabbed the stick, trying to pull the treat back out. "Come on! Give it back! I barely got to eat mine!"

Manta sweatdropped, watching the two brunets bicker and fight over the ice cream, Kotomi pulling with all her might and Yoh clamping down hard on the stick with his jaws. Unnoticed, the blue-haired boy's nose had begun to twitch, and a line of drool tickled down his chin. He could smell the fish.

Acting on the instinct of a starving man, his head lunged forward, his mouth enclosing around the fish. The sudden weight on the fishing line and Kotomi's hardest tug made Yoh lose his balance and fall over backwards, his arms pulling on the rod as though he was reeling in the catch of the day, and the boy on the fishing line soared into the air in a graceful arc, before crashing head first into the snowman.

Manta stared, mouth gaping. What had just happened? He blinked, leaning forward when he noticed something fell out of the case on the boy's back.

"A snowboard…?"

"Hey!" Kotomi ran over, pulling the boy out of the snowman. "You think if I ask him nicely, he'll let us do that again so I can catch it on film!?"

Manta fell into the ground. Now was not the time to be worrying about missing an opportunity to use her brand-new video camera to replace the old temperamental one (purchased with several months allowance, she had proudly told them when she showed them earlier).

Not when the boy was potentially injured, dead and ill.

"Um….."

Manta and Kotomi looked back. Yoh was laying on his back, arms above his head, still clutching the fishing pole.

"Can you guys help me up?"

"Sure!" Kotomi let go of the boy and winced when he crashed head first into the ground. "Oops…you okay?" The boy moaned. "I'll take that as a yes!"

Ignoring Manta kissing the ground again, she went over and offered Yoh her hand. She then noticed that she was holding the empty wooden popsicle stick in her hand. Yoh grinned sheepishly.

"You bastard! You swallowed it!!"

"FORGET ABOUT THE ICE CREAM AND HELP HIM UP!"

Blinking blearily, the blue-haired boy looked around. Where was he? Was he still asleep? He glanced over his shoulder and saw a strange-funny little person roaring and screaming, brandishing a giant book and chasing another girl round and round another person, laying on the ground with a fishing pole.

He dropped his head back to the ground, ignoring the sickening cracking sound his skull made.

Yep. Definitely still asleep.

* * *

"AHHHH! I sure ate a lot~!" the blue-haired boy patted his full stomach. He had even had to unzip his jacket to make room for his overstuffed stomach.

Ryou watched the boy, elbow on the table, chin in his hand, a narrow orange eyebrow raised. He counted 13 bowls, 20 plates, and 6 cups.

"My restaurant doesn't go through this much food on a slow day, let alone an hour," he noted.

"Mahoko's probably having a cow in the kitchen," Manta mumbled, glancing at the doorway then at Ryou. He wanted to ask why Ryou, the hired cook, wasn't cooking dinner, but the looks Ryou was giving him made Manta nervous so he kept his mouth shut.

"She totally is…" Kotomi said, coming in with a tray lading with tea for everyone.

"Ah! Great! Some tea!" the boy waved Kotomi over. "One for me! One for me!" he laughed, thanking her for the cup when she gave him one before handing out the rest. "Sorry about eating all this food and drink…but I haven't eaten anything in awhile."

Yoh blinked. "Wow…Why were you lost anyway?"

The boy's face hardened and he sat up, looking ready to do some serious explaining. "That is…"

Suddenly, the sound of air being slowly released from a balloon filled the room accompanied by a foul odour…

Kotomi had thrown open the window and was leaning out it before Yoh could even finish saying "Poisonous gas."

"AUUUGH! IT SMELLS WORSE THAN DAISUKE'S!"

Ryou stood gasping beside her, "You're….You're not kidding…"

Manta couldn't say anything, he was too busy trying to gasp in fresh oxygen.

"What about Daisu--" Mahoko poked her head into the room, having heard the commotion. However, she trailed off when she got a whiff of the noxious gas floating in the room. "Yuck!"

"Don't come in here!" Kotomi cried, looking back at Mahoko. "It's dangerous--AH!" she cried, noticing Yoh passed out on the tatami, drool running down his chin. "YOU KILLED HIM!"

The guilty boy stood against the back wall, rubbing his head nervously. "Oops! Sorry! Can I use the bathroom?"

"GO!" Kotomi roared, making the boy eep and run past Mahoko and down the hall to the bathroom.

Mahoko blinked. No one mentioned when they called her and asked her to come get Ryou that a) she would be doing all the cooking with Ryou listing fatigue as the reason why he could not do his job, and b) that the person she was feeding would be a gluttonous punk-rocker.

And she thought she left all the crazy, spiky-haired people back in America….

* * *

"Amidamaru-san…?" Rei asked, in the same position as Amidamaru was, frozen in the middle of imitating Amidamaru and the kata the samurai was performing. "What's going on…?"

Amidamaru glanced up at the window from which the commotion had been coming from. "I'm…not sure…Wait here a moment, Rei-chan."

Amidamaru sheathed his sword, and disappeared without further discussion.

Rei-chan puffed out his cheeks, and pouted. He was having fun practicing with Amidamaru…

Determined to show Amidamaru had made a poor decision not staying to practice with him, Rei-chan began to strike the air violently, the leaves on his impromptu sword rustling loudly with the movements.

When Amidamaru came back, he'd be surprised! Definitely!

* * *

"Are you okay, Yoh!?" Kotomi cried, sitting down beside the boy as he groggily sat up.

Amidamaru paused, having been floating silently along the hallway. Yoh was injured?

"I saw the Great Spiritual Realm--Eh? What did you say!?"

"D-Did he make you go deaf!?"

Peaking cautiously around the doorway. Amidamaru saw everyone sitting around on the ground. There didn't seem to be any trouble…

Ryou rested his elbows on Kotomi's head. "If anything he should have lost his sense of smell. You sure you want this guy around, Yoh?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Well, if you're going to pass out every time he passes wind you won't live long…"

"D-Don't say that!" Kotomi wailed.

"Don't worry! I'll be fine, because he's not a bad guy," Yoh grinned.

The three Kansai shaman exchanged looks. Whether or not he was good or not was besides the point when he could eat and gas one out of their house and home.

Breathing a sight of relief, and writing off the screams and shouts as an argument between friends and nothing serious, Amidamaru turned to left and found himself nose to nose with Atsumi.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Without warning, the guest let out a loud screaming, throwing open the door and fleeing from the bathroom, covering Amidamaru's shout of surprise at finding Atsumi so close. Curious, Yoh, Ryou, Manta, Kotomi and Mahoko peaked out into the hallway to see what was the matter, and seeing this Amidamaru quickly pushed Atsumi further down the hall, covering her mouth with a hand, oblivious to the blush spreading across her face at being held so tightly against his body.

"W-What is that!?" the blue haired boy cried, pointing towards the bathroom, and then sensing eyes on him, he looked and found Amidamaru and Atsumi staring at him. "GAH! And who are they!?"

Blinking, the gang leaned out further, and saw nothing in the direction Horo pointed in, looking back towards the bathroom, they saw an old man (Tamegoroh, Manta explained later)…and got an eyeful of something else.

"PUT YOUR FREAKIN' BOXERS ON!" Mahoko yelled, before turning to Kotomi who was huddled in the corner, covering her eyes, sobbing. "Hey, Hey…it's okay. It's pretty average," or below average depending on who you ask but that wasn't the point. "You'll forget all about it eventually…"

Ego a little wounded, the boy shuffled uncomfortably back into the bathroom and didn't emerge until his business was conducted and he was properly clothed.

* * *

"That was close…" Amidamaru breathed a sigh of relief, having rematerialized outside. He didn't want Yoh to know he was eavesdropping…even if Yoh was kind and wouldn't scold him, it still wasn't proper etiquette.

"MMPHF!"

Realizing he still had Atsumi in his grasp, he released her and gasped for breath. "I-I'm so sorry!" he apologized.

Atsumi coughed. "J-Jeez! Was that really necessary!?"

"You startled me…!" Amidamaru apologized profusely. He hadn't meant to harm her, or touch her if she had not wanted him too. "And when that boy started screaming I panicked, I didn't know what to do so I simply…"

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay," Atsumi cooed, picking something up off the ground. "Poor boy's all tired out…"

Amidamaru walked over to where she was and glanced around her, noticing that it was Rei-chan that Atsumi had picked up. The boy was covered in dirt and scraps, still clutching his stick-sword in his hand despite being fast asleep.

He had continued to work without Amidamaru around…somehow, the thought filled Amidamaru with a profound sense of pride and his heart swelled.

"We should take him inside…so he doesn't fall ill," he said, ruffling the boy's hair as a silent congratulations.

Atsumi nodded and she walked inside, Amidamaru at her side.

* * *

The bluenet coughed, clearing his throat. He was back at his seat at the tea table finally.

"I'm sorry for the lack of formalities, but…my name's Horo Horo!" he jabbed his thumb at himself, smirking. "You really saved me!"

Yoh snorted. "That's a funny name! If you add dots it'd be--"

"Boro Boro!" Rei-chan cried, having woken up by the voices and movement of being carried inside. He raced over and slid between Yoh and Kotomi at the table. "Are you a clown!?"

"What!? NO!"

"He's Ho-kun! Ho-kun!" Kotomi explained, brandishing Horo Horo's snowboard and it's case, having somehow plucked it from where it stood against the wall behind Horo Horo. "It even says so right here!"

"Hey!" Mahoko scolded. "Don't touch things that aren't yours--Whoa, it really does say that!"

Sure enough, just above Kotomi's index finger, printed on the white cloth in deep blue was the katakana character "Ho".

"It looks cool, huh?" Kotomi grinned. "It makes me excited for winter!"

"Hey Hey! Don't touch my things! At the very least you should introduce yourself first!"

"Kotomi Sakuraii~!" she sang.

"Manta Oyamada."

"Rei!"

"Ryou Kajitsu."

"And she's Mako!" Kotomi pointed at Mahoko when she stayed silent, not wanting to introduce herself.

"Mako?" the blue-haired boy parroted.

"That's Mahoko to strangers like you!"

Horo Horo laughed, before his eyes settled on Manta and his entire expression changed. Suddenly he leaped across the table and tackled Manta, screaming. "Kororo! I wanted to see you!!! Where did you go!? I was so lonely!"

Mahoko blinked. "A gay rocker?"

"WHAT!?" Manta shrieked, terrified.

"WHAT!?" Horo Horo shrieked, mortified.

"No, no, no, Mako!" Kotomi touched her friend's arm, as if trying to calm her down. "He's a boardhead! A boardhead! He's a gay snowboarder!"

"I'M NOT GAY!!!!!!!"

* * *

Wincing, Atsumi buried her head more into Amidamaru's shoulder, covering her ears. "They're so loud!"

He chuckled, pulling his cloak that he had removed earlier over her head, hoping to help block out the noise. "It'll quiet down eventually," he said, tugging her close before returning to watching the stars from their spot on the porch. "Just forget about them and enjoy everything out here."

Atsumi flushed slightly, tugging the cloak a little closer, comforted by the familiar, worn fabric that she had sewn and fixed for him more times than she could count.

"Okay…"

* * *

Horo Horo cleared his throat again. "Sorry. You resembled someone I knew so my habits took over."

"What kind of habits are those?"

"That's the first time I've seen a teenager throw a temper tantrum…"

Mahoko laughed at Kotomi's comment. "Maybe he's just a very tall pre-teen?"

"A tall Ainu-preteen?" Manta blinked.

"Probably. With names like Horo Horo and Kororo it's likely," Ryou commented. "And his clothes have markings on them that are different."

"I'm not a preteen, but yeah. I'm an Ainu. A proud member of the Ainu tribe, who live with the Great Mother Nature and the vast plains of the North. I had business in Tokyo, so I hitchhiked here, and sold folk crafts along the way to make money. Finally, I reached here but I had to go to the washroom one day and there wasn't time to pack up my belongings. I thought if I was fast enough it'd be okay…so I left to find a washroom and when I came back…"

"Your belongings were stolen…" Manta finished, sympathetically.

"I heard Tokyo was a very dangerous place and all but I didn't think something would happen so suddenly. I searched hard for my things but eventually I got hungry and…"

"That's so sad!!" Kotomi sobbed, touched by his story.

"Whoa…you got gipped on your first time?"

Kotomi was aghast at her best friend's comment. "Mako! You're supposed to be sympathetic when you hear things like that!"

Mahoko laughed. "Sorry, Sorry, that came out wrong. What I meant was: How did you get gipped so fast? I mean, I guess I forgot how dangerous it can be in Tokyo…but I'd never actually been here until now. I'm from the south of Japan and I lived in America until last month so…"

"Then we're both new here!" Horo Horo grinned, glad to have made a comrade in the same situation as him. "Let's help each other out!"

"Speaking of helping…what are we going to do? Ho-kun doesn't have any of his belongings and he has no place to stay…"

Mahoko waved her hands when Kotomi looked at her. "Nuh-uh! No way! My house is off limits!"

"Sorry," Ryou grinned. "But me and Kotomi's place is full."

"You can stay with me!" Yoh said, finally. "Since you led such a hard life, Boro Boro!"

"Really!? Thanks!" Horo Horo leaned across the table, holding Yoh's hands, teary eyed until he realized Yoh hadn't called him by name which resulted in him giving Yoh a swift headbutt and correction.

"Hey! You can't hurt Yoh like that!"

"What's going on here!?" Anna demanded, throwing open the door after hearing the commotion.

"Boro Boro is being violent!" Kotomi pointed at Horo, squashed underneath Mahoko's body on top of the tea table.

"It's Horo Horo. Horo Horo."

"Pick a new name then! It's too much like Boro Boro!" Mahoko snapped. "Like, my brother, Daisuke, doesn't like his name so he's Dai. I don't like my name so most call me Mako."

"But…it's what I get people to call me since I don't like my name…"

"Then you should've picked a better name," the pigtailed brunette reasoned as she tried to heal the bump on Yoh's forehead like she'd seen Atsumi do before. Instead all she was really doing was pushing it back into his head.

"I'll just call you Horo until I think of something better," Mahoko decided, before waving at Anna. "Hi, Anna!"

"Well," Anna said. "If you really have to stay you have to follow my orders."

"No problem!"

Everyone sighed as Anna began to list the chores Horo Horo would have to do. Anna had another slave.

"Hey," Horo Horo whispered to Yoh when Anna was done. "Your sister has a pretty strict personality--eh, Kotomi, what's wrong?" he asked when her head drooped.

"Don't bring that up!" Mahoko punched Horo Horo shoulder's hard.

"Hey! Don't hurt him!" Yoh cried. "How could he know that Anna was my fiancée!?"

Horo Horo shattered. Unaware of his actions, he began mumbling, "These guys are around the same age as me…but I still…don't even have a girlfriend…" with a clatter, he fell to his hands and knees, knocking over the tea cups on the table. "I've lost."

"You don't have a girlfriend because you're a jerk," Mahoko said.

"Yeah…"

"Think he realized he has his hand's in hot tea?"

Mahoko blinked before looking behind her. "Atsumi!! We're going to second degree burns soon!"

As if his nerves finally started firing, as though they needed to recover from the devastating blow he received at hearing of Anna's status of his fiancée, Horo Horo began screaming, clutching his burnt hand. He scrambled off the table, stepping on the hot tea while he was at it, screaming louder and rolling around on the ground, and eventually, rolled right into a bookcase and finally stopped moving when a heavy tomb fell off the shelf and hit him in the face.

"….And potentially a concussion and broken nose!" Kotomi added.

Yoh laughed, finding the whole thing amusing.

They certainly gained an interesting houseguest.


	14. Sky Blue Days

(Ichigo: Ouf, it's later than I planned, but here's Chapter 13!

Orenji: No time to write a huge author's note, because with school starting again soon we're trying to write as much as we can! But please R&R

Ichigo: Back to writing! GO GO GO! )

Disclaimer: After 13 chapters, I think you know that we don't own Shaman King

* * *

Chapter 13: Sky Blue Days

When Atsumi materialized into the room, she hadn't quiet expected what she found: which was everyone watching a spiky-haired boy fall crashing and running into things as he tried to nurse his various wounds.

She recognized him as the boy she saw from far down the hallway, but up close he was different…

In the best way possible.

"What a cute boy!" she cooed, snagging Horo Horo and crushing him to her chest in a hug, rubbing her cheek against his hair, practically purring in contentment. "Such cute lil' spiky hair!"

"H-Hi, nice to meet you, Nee-san," Horo Horo stuttered in a surprised, nasally voice as he pinched his nose to stem the flow of blood, which started spurting when the book squashed his face.

"Atsumi~! That's my name! AND I just _love_ spiky hair!"

"Atsumi! Don't get chummy with a dork like him!" Mahoko stood up, preparing to tear Atsumi off the bluenet.

Atsumi immediately let go, but not for the reason Mahoko thought. "Oh!" Atsumi said. "I wasn't aware that you…"

"Don't finish that sentence!" the green-haired girl yelled, pressing her hands to her ear, looking as though she might start singing at the top of her lungs.

"Mako!" Mahoko's brunette best friend stood, poking one of Mahoko's tan cheeks, which had gained a slight flush. "You're blushing!"

"I'm embarrassed!"

"Because you've been noticed…"

Mahoko's eyes widened comedically, quickly glancing at Horo Horo. "What!? No! You haven't noticed me, right, Horo!?"

The boy merely blinked, still holding his nose closed, a few drops of blood dripping out on occasion. "Eh?"

"I meant that Atsumi-san noticed that you like him!"

"I just met the dork!" Mahoko screeched, offended by the mere suggestion. "I do not like him. In fact…I just plain don't like him! Idiots like him…they make me mad! I'm going home!"

Horo Horo watched, mouth gaping, as Mahoko stomped past him and into the hall. He was startled when she suddenly thrust her head back into the room after a long period of silence.

"I HATE YOU, GAY SNOWBOARDER!" she said as her final goodbye, and she disappeared once again, her stomping footsteps echoing all the way to the door, and finally, the door slammed shut.

"E-Eh? What's…?"

Kotomi let out a long, irritated sound as she dropped back to her knees, before allowing her head to slam into the tea table. "Jeeeez…"

"Don't mind her," Yoh was trying to grin but even he was feeling a little shell-shocked by Mahoko's sudden outburst. "Mahoko's…just a little messed up when it comes to relationships."

"She's kinda got a hypothetical chastity belt because of her brother," Manta added.

Horo Horo pulled himself together, finally, and joined the gang at the table. "Really?"

"Yeah, when I first met her she stuffed a floatie in my mouth and told me to blow….but now we're friends. She just takes a long time to get used to boys. She'll be back to her outspoken and more friendly self by tomorrow."

"For your sake, I hope so anyway," Anna added, having been leaning against the doorframe the entire time. "She's also the captain of the boy's boxing club at our school."

"What!? Seriously!?"

"Mm-hmm," Kotomi poked at Horo Horo's hand. "You realize you put it back in the tea, right?"

Atsumi stared blankly as Horo Horo began making runs around the room again, shouting. Mosuke used to do that with soup…

* * *

The next morning, Horo Horo found himself beginning his life as a free-loader…also known as Anna's slave. His current duty was to sweep the front yard, with the old bamboo broom, the broom's stiff bristles making the task quiet longer than it needed to be.

Horo Horo stopped, looking at his hand that had been burnt by the tea. The skin was normal. It was as though he had never burnt himself. That Atsumi lady was pretty amazing.

He heard the front door slide open, and quickly went back to work. Anna walked past him without a word and once she left, he quickly dropped the broom and went to investigate…

And found her staring right at him.

"Free-loaders shouldn't slack off!" she cried, grabbing him by his jacket and throwing him back into the yard.

"W-What a violent girl!" Horo Horo muttered as he pulled his hair and head out of the wall he was thrown into. "I don't want a girl like that to be my girlfriend….but then again…I don't have a girlfriend at all…I want a girlfriend…"

"It's okay, kid! You won't have to worry about getting girlfriends when you're so scrawny!"

"A hello would be nicer," Yoh shook his head from the window before disappearing, to come downstairs.

"W-Who is this guy!?" Horo Horo asked, pointing at Daisuke who had seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Mako's brother," Kotomi grinned, poking her head out from behind the taller boy. "He came to drop us off and he said he'd give us a ride to the farther parts of town since we don't have transpo' money," spotting Yoh, Kotomi waved. "Hi! I brought you some of the left-over curry from last night! Ryou made it the way you like it!"

"E-Eh? Why…"

Daisuke snorted. "It's to find your stuff, genius!" He rubbed at the back of his head, embarrassed. "Mako said that she felt bad that you guys didn't get off to a good start, so she begged me to help you guys out."

"Really…? But where is…" Horo Horo trailed off. Kotomi was pointing outside the gate. Hurriedly, he ran past the two brunets and out onto the street. Spotting the parked pick-up truck, he ran over and thrust his head through the open passenger window, startling Mahoko. "Hey! Thanks a lot!!"

Mahoko blushed. Even if she didn't like him, his grin was infectious. "W-Well…I was kinda a brat so…don't worry about it! Let's just go find your stuff!"

"Mm! And…if you ever need some help," he thumbed a thumb into his chest. "I'm your guy, got it?"

"Pfft, I doubt I'll ever need your help," Mahoko was grinning from ear to ear. "But thanks!"

Horo Horo grinned back. Maybe things would go well with Mahoko after all..

BANG!

Horo Horo found himself flat on his back after Daisuke reached across the seat and shoved Horo Horo's forehead hard.

Or not…

* * *

"Well then," Yoh patted the rough map of Funbari as he spoke. The one with the strange, cartoon train on it. "Let's start from the place you lost your things."

"By the way, why did you come to Tokyo?"

"To make my big dream come true!" Horo Horo answered simply.

"A comedian?" Daisuke asked, eyebrows raised.

"What was that!?"

"Do you do slapstick!? Who's your partner!?"

"I'm not a comedian!" Horo Horo turned back to the others, blinking since he noticed Mahoko dozing in the grass nearby, the gag having decided to stop their search and continued dialogue for a break in the park. "She's asleep!?"

"She was probably up all night feeling guilty about how she treated you," the pig-tailed girl explained, munching on a chip she had extracted from a tin.

Feeling a little responsible, Horo Horo shrugged off his jacket and placed it on Mahoko's shoulders, whom snuggled up in the material, enjoying the woodsy scent buried deep in the fabric, which Kotomi captured on film with her camcorder.

"But my dream…" Horo Horo stood, walking over to the railing surrounding the small cliff over looking Tokyo. "Isn't to be a comedian. It's something tremendously more big. I want to save the Kororo Pokkoro."

His eyes gained a far-away look as he continued to speak, fondly even. "They lived together with us, and we lived in harmony with nature. They taught us many things…laws of nature, how to live with nature. Born with water, cultivate with wind, be respectful to fire, and return to the earth. Humans must live in balance with nature…that's what we were taught…"

He turned to face his listeners, throwing an arm aside as he indicated the sprawling, urban center behind him, dark, shadowed, and ominous in the golden light of sunset. "But is this a balanced form!? This city of steel!? Because of endless urbanization, habitats are shrinking and disappearing. The Kororo Pokkoro are loosing their homes! Homes that won't return for thousands of years! Something has to be done…I understand humans have their own reasons but…but I can't just sit by and watch the Kororo Pokkoro go extinct!"

"So you came to start an anti-urbanization movement?" Manta asked, assuming this was a logical course of action.

"My dream isn't that, nor is it to be a comedian! My dream is--no, I intend to plant and create a vast land filled with butterbur plants!"

"I heard of those," Daisuke surprised everyone with this news. The NEET knew about such things? What a shock. "They live waaaay up in Hokkaido, right? My dad said there was lots of them when he went there to scope out land for a new school he's working on. Didn't mention any Korockkles, though."

"It's Kororo Pokkoros! And what do you mean 'to scope out land for a new school'!?"

"I don't pay much attention," the older boy admitted, a little taken aback by the blue-haired boy's outburst. "My mom's a model and my dad's an urban planner and architect. He runs and owns a major company. They're responsible for the HEIYU building and the Sunshine building…. They've recently started to try and make more schools in Hokkaido to attract foreigners and to encourage people to move."

"See! That's what I mean! Those schools will sprout towns around them and more trees will be cut down, and more land lost!" Horo Horo exclaimed, pointing a finger at Daisuke.

"So…how are you planning to save the Kororo Pokkoro from here?"

Horo Horo blinked at Kotomi's question. "Eh?"

"You're…You're not planning on assassinating the presidents of construction companies and stuff, are you!?"

"What!? No way!"

"Then….how?"

"I doubt you'd understand even if I told you…"

Kotomi's eyes narrowed into slits, donning a fox-like look, one that would make Atsumi, the master of the look, proud. Horo Horo was being highly suspicious. He was up to something, and she would uncover his plot! She would expose him!

By spending all her time at Yoh's house.

* * *

She executed her plan immediately. The next day, while Yoh trained outside by doing the Invisible Chair exercise, Kotomi ignored Yoh for once and instead fixed her eyes on Horo Horo as he putted around from place to place, doing medial chores.

"Heeeey, Mako," Kotomi tore her eyes away from Horo Horo when he was assigned to an ironing task near them. "What are you doing here? Isn't today the day you usually go shopping with your mom?"

"Oh, Mom had an emergency meeting today. Besides, she says that I should, 'Start making my friends and getting my moves on since Nara's coming up. Which is my number one chance to impress a nice sha….Fujiwara.'"

"Eh!? You might have to marry one of them!?" Kotomi disregarded the fact people were referring to the tournament in Kansai that coincides with the Shaman King tournament by the name of the town where it was located and became more concerned with the surname Mahoko said.

If every family had skeletons in the closet, and if all the Kansai clans were one big family…the entire Fujiwara family would be skeletons in the closet. They were horrible, calculating, and rude people. No one really liked them.

The green-haired girl sighed. "I don't like it…but it looks like my days as a celebate are numbered, aren't they? It's my chance to brush up with boys, right? Even if they make me nervous…"

"Maybe you should talk to Ho-kun and see if he'll agree to be your fake boyfriend or something?" Kotomi ignored Mahoko's look. Well, Kotomi obviously wasn't going to suggest Yoh, and Manta wouldn't come even close to being a believable boyfriend…pet, maybe. But not a boyfriend. "Maybe if you're lucky, they'll call off the whole arranged-marriage thing if you seem to be in a serious relationship."

The other girl laughed dryly. "I've already got my eyes on someone from Kansai…if all goes well, maybe. I'm not too sure…"

"Eh!? Y-You like someone?! This is the first time I heard something like this! Why didn't you tell me!?"

"…I don't know if I like him, or if it's just because he's so nice to me…but for now, I don't have many options, right? You're lucky your clan is so large, you can afford to marry whoever you want…my clan's only hope for survival is me and Daisuke."

"Ehhh," Kotomi protested, waving her hands. "But we're poor because we're so big! It's not good at all! And I don't see what's wrong with picking who you marry as long as you have kids. I'm starting to really hate this whole arranged marriage thing…"

"You're telling me," the slave, Horo Horo, grumbled as he shuffled by with a tray bearing tea cups and a pot.

"It's not so bad," Mahoko said, ignoring Kotomi's skeptical look. "There's no way I'd be able to find the right guy on my own anyway. It's just another part of my life I don't have to worry about. My mom and dad were arranged too, they hardly see each other since Mom's always in the US, so it doesn't really matter. The only point is to make babies which takes like…5 minutes?"

"But that's so sad! I don't want Mako to be sad!"

Mahoko patted the sniffling girl's head. "It's okay. It's just a quick ceremony and a few baby making sessions, a few rounds of 9 month PMS, and that's the only time I'll ever have to spend with him. So…it's not like it really matters. And besides," she continued, ignoring Kotomi's sniffled reply, accusing Mahoko of being a liar. "Akira said he'd be my partner if I'm still available once we go home…"

"A-Akira?! T-That Akira!?" Kotomi gasped, picturing the haughty, blonde and blue eyed member of a family distantly related to the Tachikawas. "But…isn't he already dating someone!?"

"Polygamy isn't against the rules of our clan!"

Kotomi stared. "You're crazy…hey, she's crazy, isn't she Yoh--eh? You're still doing the electric chair? I thought you were supposed to be done 20 minutes ago?"

"Anna's too busy with _him_!"

"Hey!" Horo Horo snapped at Yoh's accusing words. "If you want to take her off my hands feel free to! At least I won't have to worry about my hands falling off!"

"Pfft," Mahoko smirked, resting her chin in her palm. "You're only human, Horo. Don't try and look tough just because you're a man servant now."

"Who you calling a man servant?"

"He who holds the tea, and washes the floors, folds the futons, sweeps, washes dishes…"

"I wouldn't have to do all this if you just let me stay at your place!" Horo Horo shouted, cutting off Mahoko's list of domestic duties he had been forced to perform since sun up.

"My. House. Is. Off. Limits!"

"Horo Horo!" the boy froze at the sound of Anna calling his name. "Are you slacking off to ogle girls!?"

"What!? Of course not--"

"They're not worth ogling."

"Right--HEY!" Horo Horo cried, throwing the tray in the air, indignant at Kotomi's words. "Don't go putting words into my mouth! D-Don't go and try to get me in trouble just to cover for the fact that Yoh is slacking!"

"What!? He wouldn't do that--he would," the girl sweatdropped, as she saw Yoh, panting on the ground. "You couldn't hold out a few more minutes?"

"SLACKER!" the blonde roared, grasping Manta by his head and throwing him at Yoh, knocking both the boys unconscious.

"We really aren't worth ogling at all, huh?" Mahoko laughed a little.

"Yeah," Kotomi agreed. "I guess it's true what they say: all the good guys are either taken or gay."

Mahoko was silent for a moment, before she stood without a word and stomped over, kicking Horo Horo over without an ounce of emotion. "You know what!? I'm no sight for sore eyes, and I've been a bitch to you, but AT LEAST you could be nice enough to compliment Komi who's been nothing but nice to you the entire time! She's defiantly ogle worthy, you jerk! You better be nice to her so I never have to hear her say something like that again!"

Manta sweatdropped. "You need to stop complaining so much around Mahoko, Kotomi. She takes everything you complain about as a personal threat."

"She didn't used to care…I was expecting her to say something like, 'Yeah! Totally! Let's forget about guys and go get ice cream!'"

"Is this 'Nara' thing finally getting to her?"

Suddenly, Atsumi began to giggle into her sleeve, her eyes narrowed like a fox's…right before Anna took out Yoh and Manta again.

Kotomi sweatdropped. Apparently Atsumi had a streak of sadism in her.

* * *

"Why are you guys so gosh darn hard on Horo Horo?" Yoh asked while everyone was enjoying their after-dinner cup of tea…everyone except Horo Horo, whom was stuck washing all the dishes.

"Maybe he talked bad about one of her soaps?" Kotomi suggested.

"He's a shaman," Anna took a sip of her tea. "Haven't you noticed that?"

"I…I thought something was weird in the house, but I just thought it was here," Kotomi pointed at Atsumi. "She's been high all day."

"I've been feeling nostalgiiiiic~" Atsumi sang, flapping her arms around.

"I did," Mahoko ignored Atsumi's comment, instead replying to the blonde itako's. "From the moment I met him. That's why he makes me so on guard, in case he tries to be like Ren and hurt you."

Her best friend gave her a blank look. She could have just said that instead of harassing the poor boy.

"Where is he now, anyway?" Ryou asked, having come over at Kotomi's request to relieve Horo Horo of cooking duty...a task that was rendered rather moot since Anna wouldn't let Ryou into the kitchen.

"He's outside," Amidamaru said, tearing his eyes away from Atsumi's crazed antics for a moment.

Snatching her bow, Mahoko raised outside, Miyuki hot on her heals. "KOMI! Stay out of harm's way!"

"H-Hey! You can't leave me out of the fun! Let's go, Atsumi-san!"

"But you don't have a weapon," Atsumi's samurai boyfriend protested.

"W-We'll figure something out!"

"Amidamaaarrrrru," Atsumi threw herself into Amidamaru's arms. "I don't want to hurt that cute boy!"

"You don't have to…!"

"A-Atsumi-san!? Aren't you tired of sitting around and doing nothing!?"

"Not at all~!"

"D-Don't you want to play healer to a handsome swordsman!?"

"But he's not even injured…"

The brunette sighed in exasperation. This…was going nowhere.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yoh and the others had raced out after Mahoko, and finally drew to a stop with her by a large tree…and there stood Horo Horo…but he wasn't alone.

"Kyonshi!" Manta cried, recognizing the black clothing and pasty skin of the walking corpses.

"These guys are my opponents!" Horo Horo shouted, noticing the others. "You amateurs, stay back!"

"Pfft! We're anything but amateurs, boardhead!" Mahoko released the taught drawstring, the released arrow flying, snagging the seal off a Kyonshi that had tried to attack Horo Horo from behind.

"W-What!? You're a shaman, Mahoko!?"

"We all are," she winked. "And here I thought you trying to kill Komi…you were just getting picked on by zombies?"

The bluenet sweatdropped. "You….thought I was trying to kill her?"

"G-Guys, I'm here too," Yoh waved his hand slightly, trying to draw attention to himself, but he was ignored. Apparently, Mahoko hadn't been worried about his safety.

"It's not like it hasn't happened with shamans before," Mahoko shrugged. "But anyway…let's kick zombie ass."

"You got it!"

"Let's go then!"

"You sure you don't wanna try going out there, Atsumi-san," Kotomi asked cheerfully, smiling, only to receive a blank look in return. "I didn't think so…HEY GUYS, KICK BUTT FOR ME, OKAY!?"

Her request was one that could be easily fulfilled. With Horo Horo's freezing attacks, Yoh's swords and Mahoko's arrows, the half dozen of so kyonshi were easily dispatched within a matter of minutes.

No one even broke a sweat.

Though Mahoko did break some eardrums and brains when Horo Horo's spirit removed herself from his snowboard and revealed herself to be a tiny, dark haired spirit dressed in Ainu clothing.

The infamous Kororo had appeared.

"Awwwww! She's the cutest thing!" Mahoko cooed, crowding in around the tiny spirit with Kotomi.

"Is she a relative of yours, Man--" Anna trailed off and stared at Mahoko and the uncharacteristic coos and squeals she was making. "Wait, are you alright?"

"S-S-S-So cute!" Kotomi looked at Horo Horo. "What is she!?"

"Ah! That's Kororo! She's a Kororo Pokkoro."

Mahoko and Kotomi exchanged glances. If this was a Kororo Pokkoro…

Kotomi flashed Horo Horo a thumbs up. "Ho-kun! I'll totally help you plant butterbur plants!"

"Me too!" Mahoko nodded. "You're so cute, Kororo!"

"Ku! Ku!" Kororo chanted, dancing around in the air, pleased with all the compliments and attention she was receiving.

"I wanna take her home and dress her up! Like in a cute, frilly, white dress!"

"No way! She's fine the way she is," Mahoko grasped Kororo's tiny feet. "Look at her tiny pink booties!"

"Okay you two," Anna grabbed her two female, somewhat friends, grabbing a fistful of one yellow and one blue shirt, and pulled them away from the tiny spirit. "We're going to go for a walk before we head back."

Kotomi blinked at Anna. "Eh? Going where?"

"One last place to check for his things…"

* * *

Mahoko stood, arms akimbo, looking up at the police station. "This should've been an obvious place to start with…"

"Your things were a walking hazard so…" the itako trailed off, shoving the gray, drawstring bag into the stunned Ainu's arms.

"Well…um…things happened," Horo Horo fidgeted looking nervous, but eventually his usual persona returned and he grinned brightly. "Yoh, Mahoko, everyone. Let's meet again at the Shaman Fight."

"Mm!"

"Let's have a better meeting, next time."

He laughed at Mahoko's words, turning to leave. "You bet. Well, see you…"

"You know…I miss him already," Kotomi waved at Horo Horo's back as he walked down the street and disappeared. "He kinda grows on you."

"I know, right?" Mahoko agreed, waving as well.

She really missed that guy…she hoped she could see him soon…

* * *

Mahoko stared.

She didn't mean _this_ soon.

"Hey! You guys are late!" greeted Horo Horo in a cheery voice. "What took you so long?"

Kotomi dropped her bag, too stunned to remove her video camera and capture the sight before her. "Eh!? You're eating watermelon! In a yukata! Sitting cross-legged!"

"Yep, yep, ANNNNNDDD YEP!"

"Ehhhhh! You're totally lazing around, aren'tcha!? You're gunna give some poor, unknowing girl a nosebleed!"

"Like you?" he grinned and poked his cheek, Mahoko too far for him to do it to her own. "You're blushing, Mahoko. You're so cute like that!"

"Not even! I'm just surprised that you're here! Yep! I don't even get those kinds of thoughts!"

Kotomi raised an eyebrow. "Then what are the dating sim games for?"

"I'm admiring the artwork!"

"You mean the pictures of naked me--"

"Seriously," Anna stomped her foot. "What _are_ you doing here?"

"Well, I realized that I had no place to go, so I thought I minuswell stay here for a couple more days. By the way, the water's great! You guys should hurry in first, Yoh, Manta! Otherwise the girls will take forever to get out--"

Furious that he was not only helping himself to their clothes, food, and bath without permission, Anna seized Manta by his head and again used him as a projectile, making Kotomi cry out in shock.

"A-Anna-san! The shoji screens will break if you throw Manta around like that in the house!"

Atsumi smiled, her hands over her cheeks. "Aww! She made a friend!"

Though Manta was probably regretting his decision to befriend all these crazy people at this point…

And not carrying around any aspirin.


	15. The Burden of Those Past

(Ichigo: New chapter! More coming soon!

Orenji: We won't keep you long so you can enjoy the loooooong chapter! Read and review, everyone!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King....how many times do we have to go through this?

* * *

Chapter 14: The Burden of Those Past

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

"W-WHAT!?" Kotomi skid out into the hall at Manta's scream. "Murderer!? Kidnapper!?"

"It's Tamegoroh!" Yoh cried, skidding to a stop behind Kotomi.

Anna snorted, chomping on one of her crackers. "How many time have you been here, Manta? Just tell him to go away and he will!"

"Bad Mister!" Rei-chan cried, swinging his wooden sword menacingly. "Leave the little boy alone!"

Not wanting to be struck, Tamegoroh sunk back into the pipes and disappeared.

"Uwah! You banished him!" Kotomi flashed a thumbs up at the boy. "Good going!"

"It's my job as defender of the weak!" Rei-chan puffed out his chest, boasting yet trying to sound nice.

"God knows that Manta needs it," Anna chimed in from the living room.

"Do you mind if I go home soon!?"

"Ah! That's right," Kotomi dug around in the pocket of her yellow skirt, looking for her cell phone. "What time is it, anyway? Oops…" she had extracted her phone only to find she had left it on silent and there was a slew of missed calls, all from her house. Ryou had been trying to check in on her. "I'm so grounded…"

"Hehe, have Atsumi and Rei-chan vouch--is she still in there!?" Yoh had glanced around Kotomi and noticed the tablet Kotomi had set up for Atsumi so she could have a place to rest when visiting Amidamaru at the onsen, and the twins and The Reis at Kotomi's house."

"Yeaaaaaah. I think she likes it a little too much in there…" Manta sweatdropped as Kotomi hurried over to pick up the tablet to call out Atsumi and tripped over a cushion, bumping the table and almost knocking over the tablet.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Anna had reached out and steadied the tablet. "The tablet is the spirits home, after all! Don't be clumsy and break it, Kotomi! Shamanic ghosts can't die but they can still feel pain!"

"I won't!" Kotomi tapped on the tablet. "Atsumi-san? Atsumi-san? Wakey-wakey!"

"Okaaaaay~!" Atsumi materialized and stretched. "What am I to do?"

Yoh grinned and waved his greeting. "Take Kotomi and Manta home safe and sound. We'll keep Rei-chan here, since he's so fond of Amidamaru."

"Maybe you should wait until tomorrow when there's better lighting," Atsumi suggested when she saw Kotomi's eyes glinting, stroking her video camera, obviously thinking of recording Rei-chan and Amidamaru.

"Ah! That's right! It's already dark…Well then," Kotomi placed the tablet and camera back into her bag, clutching it to her chest and saluted. "I'm visiting tomorrow, Yoh, Anna-san!"

Anna shook her head, amused and Yoh just laughed, walking Manta and Kotomi to the door, waving until they shut the front door behind them.

* * *

"Jeez, you're so weird, Kotomi," Manta said as the door shut behind them. "And what do you do with all those pictures and videos you take anyway?"

"I put the pictures all around my house! On my fridge, on the walls, on the mirrors…and the videos…" Manta paled slightly as she cackled. "You'll just have to wait until New Year's!"

Atsumi sweatdropped. "Oh dear…we should head home before it gets too late--Oops…"

She had tried to shut the door but accidentally slammed it.

Hearing the loud noise, Amidamaru paused in his kata and looked up, smiling when he saw who it was. "Oh? You're leaving already, Atsumi? Will you be coming back?" Amidamaru smiled handsomely when Atsumi shook her head, masking his disappointment. "Then have a good night and be careful on your way home."

"I will. We're leaving early because Manta-kun's feeling eccentric around all the ghosts…" Atsumi explained, warming up to the idea of conversation with Amidamaru's smile.

"It's only natural. Ghosts and humans should be kept separate, it seems."

"I suppose so…but really it's just because Manta-kun's such a nice person that he can see them, isn't that right?"

"That very well might be it."

"Apparently everyone thinks you're a good guy, Manta!" Kotomi skipped ahead, humming.

"Jeez, you guys are just trying to cheer me up!" Manta, blushing slightly, hurried after Kotomi.

"Only partially! You really are a good person! I can see it in your aura!" Atsumi floated after Manta and Kotomi. "Anyway, it's getting late. Good night, Amidamaru!"

"Good night, Atsumi! Good night, Kotomi-dono, Manta-dono. Be careful!!"

Amidamaru smiled. It looked like it would be a nice, cool, routine evening…but if Amidamaru learned anything in his life, it was to be prepared for anything... with that in mind, he returned to his practise, barely noticing that Rei-chan had joined him and was imitating him.

* * *

The trio had strayed only several hundred meters from Yoh's home when the peaceful evening filled with whining cicadas, chirping crickets and playful banter between two friends when it happened…a laughter that silenced everything around them, chilling the blood of the three night travelers. Particularly Atsumi, whom had instinctively sensed the laughter and stopped all movement a moment before it sounded.

"No way. This laugh…this hill…" she glanced towards the hill and the abandoned building on it, startled when her image of it was interrupted by Manta cutting across the wild, grassy field towards the bowling alley. "W-Wait! Manta-kun! N-No, not you too, Kotomi-chan!"

Neither Manta or Kotomi seemed to notice Atsumi's slowly building anger or cries for them to stop, and soon they had reached the bowling alley and hastily pressed their backs against a wall, cautiously peaking through a broken door to see what was causing all the commotion. Inside they found Ryu surrounded by his gang members…and it was Ryu who was producing the eerie laugh.

"It really is better to drink alcohol with a real body after 600 years…" Kotomi and Manta exchanged startled glances at Ryu's words, and began to listen even more intently, not aware at all of Atsumi's presence at their elbows, tugging on their sleeves to try and gently pull them away. "Ahhh…It's my lucky day. Alcohol, a good body…and tonight I will have my revenge on you, Amidamaru. HEY YOU GUYS!"

Atsumi pulled hard and the two teens were jerked backwards, both producing startled sounds and quickly clamping their hands over their mouths. But the strange Ryu continued talking. They hadn't been found.

"Have you heard of Harusame? I need you to get it for me. This is to take my revenge, to kill him with his precious sword. I can't kill him for real…but I'll find a way to banish him to the pits of hell!"

"W-Wait a minute, Ryu-san!" Muscle Punch protested. "That would make us robbers!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryu's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "I'm the great bandit, Tokageroh! Stealing is what I do. This is a dog eat world, you know! That goes for money, goods and women! Now, get me Harusame or I'll be stealing your lives next!"

"T-Tokageroh…it couldn't be him…no no no no!"

Wheeling around, Kotomi and Manta stared at Atsumi. "Atsumi-san….? What's wrong?"

"H-He's the one…who…who…" the apparition took a deep, calming breath before speaking. "Once, while Miyuki was pregnant she got sick, s-so…I had to find some special herbs to heal her because furyoku could have harmed the babies. So, I went out on my own to find some…they only ever grew on this hill--there was a forest here, back then…I had just finished when…"

"W-What!?"

"D-Did he do something to you…that Togekuso guy!?"

Without realizing it, Ryu--no, Tokageroh-- had crept up close enough to breath down their neck, "So you remember me, don't you, little Atsumi? I told you that you'd come crawling back to me. I never thought you'd miss me this much, though…"

"D-Don't even try anything!" Atsumi hopped her voice would be a firm, authoritative voice, but instead it was shaking as much as she was. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"

"Amidamaru can't exactly touch me now, can he? Because I have you in the perfect hostage position," he snarled at Kotomi. "Put her in the tablet: now!"

Fumbling, she extracted the tablet out of her bag and immediately Atsumi disappeared inside. Surely, this was the safest place for Atsumi, wasn't it? A place where Tokageroh couldn't touch her, a haven made out of black stone.

"Kotomi-chan, you have to run now!" Atsumi cried from inside the tablet. "Even if Ryu-san's body rejects Tokageroh, he'll be able to touch you!"

Chills racing up and down his spine at the implication, Manta bravely stepped forward and, in a surprisingly steady voice, said, "Look! I'll be your hostage, okay?! But let her go!"

"Heh! I admire a little midget like you!" Tokageroh grasped Kotomi by her yellow t-shirt and threw her away, laughing as she crashed hard at the hill's base, the tablet flying from her hands landing in a patch of grass and was pocketed by the villain "Get out of here, I have preparations to make!"

Kotomi scrambled to her feet and took off full speed in the direction she felt lead to Yoh's, Tokageroh's sinister laugh and Manta's screams of pain echoing behind her.

* * *

Abruptly, Amidamaru raised his head toward's the sky.

"Manta-dono?"

Uncomfortable, he rubbed at his neck. He had felt a sudden chill, and a scream in Manta's all-too-familiar voice seemed to be echoing inside his chest. "Atsumi…"

"YOH-DONO!" Amidamaru thrust his head through the bathroom's open window, ignoring Yoh's startled scream at having a sudden guest to witness his business. "I think something horrible has happened to Atsumi and the others!"

"Y-You sure? I felt that too…"

"Me too," Yoh glanced behind him and found Anna leaning against the door frame.

"H-H-Hey! You guys! Don't crowd in here! I can't go with you guys watching!!!"

"We all felt the same thing!?" Amidamaru's expression darkened with worry. "Then surely something happened. How will we find them, though…"

Viciously, suddenly, the front door to the home rattled loudly as it was pulled open. Stumbling footsteps raced across the floor and finally, with a crash, a dirtied Kotomi landed on the floor outside the bathroom, face first.

"H-HEY!" Yoh brushed brilliant, conscious of Kotomi's eyes on him, moving up his legs and towards his face. Just having Anna and Amidamaru around was causing problems, having Kotomi _looking_ was causing even worse ones. "You can't be in here!!"

"Manta…Atsumi-san…the bowling alley…" Kotomi gasped out between laboured breaths. "Toka…Toka…He has them!"

"Rei-chan, do you know anything?" Anna demanded, slamming the bathroom door shut.

"Ba-chan told me once, that Atsumi-san had a bad run in with a snakey man," the boy helped Kotomi sit up, leaning in when she murmured something. "Ah, Nee-san said it was Tokageroh!"

With a grim expression, Anna reached into Kotomi's pocket (her bag had disappeared somewhere en route) and extracted her cell phone, dialling up Mahoko. "Mahoko. Be here as soon as you can. It's about Tokageroh. Bring Miyuki and a first-aid kiit. Why? Kotomi got herself beat up."

Business finished, Anna snapped the phone shot and tossed it back to Kotomi, asking if Kotomi knew where Atsumi and Manta were, and asking if she could lead them to them. Leaping to her feet, Kotomi hurried back to the front door, assuring the others that she could lead the way. She reached the front door and froze.

"He's here…"

"Don't come any closer," Ryu warned, clutching Manta under one arm and Atsumi's tablet in his other hand. Ryu's friends stood around nervously, carrying torches. "Or are you a pyromaniac?"

Yoh peered at Ryu, having spilt into the yard with the others once his own business was finished. "Is Ryu mad because we still haven't gotten a replacement wooden sword?"

"I don't care about that! I'm here for _you_, Amidamaru!"

"YOH-DONO! HE MUST STILL BE UNHAPPY THAT I CUT HIS HAIR!"

"THAT'S NOT IT!!" Kotomi screamed, nearly sending the spirit flying.

"Why don't you go ahead and show us who you really are, ghoul."

Ryu smirked in reaction to Anna's words. "Be more respectful," he advised. "I possessed him because it is I, The Great Tokageroh!"

"Do you actually know him?" Yoh asked Amidamaru, uncertainly. Would Amidamaru really be familiar with a guy with green skins?

"Seeing him, I do recall that he kidnapped Atsumi. But he died so quickly, he was just talk."

"What!? You…! Regardless, I'm here to kill you, Amidamaru, while you're in that boy's body! Or…" Tokageroh pressed the end of the long, wrapped object he was carrying into Manta's cheek, pushing the boy's head to the side. "Would you rather I kill off one of my hostages, right in front of you?"

"Stop right there," Amidamaru spoke, his voice as cold as ice. "I know you hate me, but don't drag innocent people into this. Even if you try to kill them, I will kill you before that happens. No, I don't even need to kill you to end this. Draw your weapon and let's finish this."

Tokageroh smirked. Amidamaru was playing right into his hand. Nothing would stop him now, of that he was certain. So when Manta managed to somehow loosing the tap placed over his mouth enough to scream out a partial warning, Tokageroh threw the boy into the ground, enjoying the scream of agony the boy produced…and Atsumi materializing beside the small boy, completely unconscious. Tokageroh had placed Atsumi's tablet in Manta's pocket, and the impact had jarred Atsumi out of the tablet and into unconsciousness.

"I-It's okay…" Kotomi hesitated, trying to assure both herself and Amidamaru who had painfully cried out when Atsumi appeared, dead to the world, her skin deathly pale, especially against the blue fabric of her clothes. "She's just unconscious…she…she can't die…"

"Atsumi-san isn't supposed to be on her back…her virus is there," Rei-chan explained, anxiously clutching Kotomi's yellow skirt. "A lot of yutas back then had deformities and hers is on her back. It's a flesh eating disease that died with her."

Amidamaru's eyes narrowed, his expression becoming grisly. He was angry and was eager to exact some revenge. Yoh, just as eager, called Amidamaru into his spirit ball mode, performed Hyoui Gattei and charged forward, preparing to strike when Manta, finally, managed to draw a large breath of air. Enough for him to scream a chilling statement.

"Tokageroh's sword is Harusame!!"

Dumfounded, Amidamaru stared as, sure enough, the familiar form of Harusame was revealed from behind the cloth and the sheath. Somehow, Amidamaru managed to recover and dodged Tokageroh's strike, resulting in Yoh escaping with his life in tact. But it had been a close call.

"What are you trying to do!?" the former owner of Harusame, Amidamaru, hissed, his anger reaching a pinnacle. "Harusame is a symbol of friendship between Mosuke and I! It's not something filth like you can touch!"

"Whaddya think, Amidamaru? Can you defeat me? I have this body, a hostage, Atsumi writhing in pain before your eyes, and especially, your Harusame. With these, you can't touch me! This is my revenge, Amidamaru!"

"Isn't there any way to tear that bandit out of that body!?" Amidamaru snarled.

"That's impossible. When it comes to exorcisms, you have to defeat the spirit. We'll either have to destroy the body, ignore Manta, or just destroy the sw--"

"When did you get here!?"

Mahoko blinked at Anna's words, glancing at her startled friends, she realized just how late to the party she was. "Oh, well…I got distracted and had to go to the bathroom…"

"Mako," Kotomi grasped the girl's arms. "We're in a pickle and you're talking to Ho-kun?!"

"I did not! I so did not! Hey, aren't you injured!?" Mahoko drew a band-aid out of the first-aid kit she carried under her arm and slapped it hard against Kotomi's forehead. "There! You feel better, right!? I should be a doctor! I'm so gentle!"

Kotomi didn't reply. She was stumbling, dazed from the force of the blow. Miyuki sweatdropped and then noticed Atsumi on the ground, on her back.

"W-What's she doing on her back!? She can't lie on her back without feeling pain so why is she on it!?"

"What? She can't even…? Well, that'd make certain things hard…" Mahoko raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"She managed. She kinda got…"

"Nice…"

"PAY ATTENTION!" Rei-chan, frustrated, shoved Mahoko into Miyuki and watched as the two girls toppled over. "Pay attention! This is serious!"

"It's simple, though," Mahoko argued, rubbing her head. "Amidamaru has to pick a choice…"

"Harusame…" Kotomi murmured. "He'll have to break it."

A look of pain flashed across Miyuki's face and, confused, Mahoko glanced up at her. "Hey…it's just a sword. What's so special about it anyway?"

"It's…the last bit of Mosuke left on Earth…with it gone…he'll be nothing but a memory and a name!"

"How…Why…?"

"It happened when we were young…"

* * *

It was the beginnings of dusk when they struck, attacking a defenseless, dark haired girl who was returning for foraging in the forest for wild vegetables and herbs. Luckily, her crush and protector was nearby, his sword ready to defend her, and defend her he did.

Soon, the bandits were running down the hill, fleeing from the small boy, shouting curses at the boy, swearing revenge, and the boy yelled right back.

"Take that! Now you know how tough I am! Next time you come here and bother us, I'll take off your heads!" Grinning now that the bandits were gone, he turned to face the dark-haired girl. "You okay, Atsumi-chan? Huh…?"

He blinked. Why did his sword arm…feel lighter? He glanced at his right hand and found he was holding the handle and a small portion of the blade. The rest lay innocently on the grass by his feet.

"Oh, shit…"

"Ami-kun!" Atsumi gasped. "You broke another one!"

"It's okay!" he puffed out his chest, nose in the air, acting like he wasn't worried at all. "I'll just calmly explain the situation and Mosuke will forgive me!"

Atsumi giggled, adoring his tough attitude even though he was such a sweetheart. "Can't that wait until I fix your arm? You're bleeding badly!"

"What? This?" Amidamaru tried not to panic at the long slash up his forearm, trying to shrug it off. He had to be cool to impress Atsumi. "This is nothing! It's just a small cut!"

"I could kiss it better~!"

Amidamaru's face burst into a brilliant shade of red, his cool persona evaporating completely as images of her kissing his arm and cleaning the wound with her tongue flooded his young, pure mind.

"W-W-W-W-What!? N-N-N-No! Y-You can't! T-That's embarrassing! Mo-Mosuke and Miyuki will never let me live it down!"

"Suit yourself, Ami-kun!" she sang, picking up her basket and starting to walk down the hill. "I'll just use it on someone else!"

The thought of Atsumi's pink lips touching one of the other boys propelled Amidamaru's feet forward until he was grasping Atsumi's upper arm, stopping her in her tracks. "NO! I mean…" he looked away, holding out his arm to her. "H-Here…"

"I can't with all the blood silly," she scolded lightly and, instead of using her tongue like he imagined, she pulled a cloth she kept tucked in her obi and began to wipe the cut clean.

"You're really alright? Accepting my feelings…isn't troubling you?"

"You mean how you don't want to be embarrassed in front of people?"

"I meant last night…when I told you you were my most important person."

She blushed. "I…can accept them…I mean, I do accept them."

"Do you…return them?"

Atsumi remained silent, finishing wrapped a bandage around his arm. As an answer, she shyly kissed the bandage.

Amidamaru beamed.

* * *

"YOU BROKE ANOTHER ONE, AMIDAMARU!?"

Amidamaru and Atsumi squinted their eyes shut as the combined shout of Mosuke and Miyuki washed over them.

"I-It's not my fault that it was too fragile!"

"Hey!" Miyuki seethed from her seat beside the cooking pot over the fire. "Don't complain after Mosuke puts so much effort into making those swords! You should thank them and take care of them!"

"I do!" Amidamaru stomped his foot, waving his arms around in protest. "But if they break from fighting they weren't good swords to begin with!"

"Don't move around so much," Atsumi protested. "You'll open up it up again!"

"A-Ah! Sorry!"

"It's okay~!"

Miyuki scowled and went back to her cooking, stirring the food using the wooden utensils Mosuke had helped her widdle using his father's hunting knife. "Mosuke, if you don't scold him properly he'll never learn."

"Look, I can't make a good sword without iron….without iron what you got is the best I can….look, if you want a sword that badly, go and steal one from the battlefields or something--Don't give me that look! I know you don't want to be a thief."

"Than don't suggest such things, Mos--"

"Here, soup," Miyuki cut him off by thrusting a bowl of warm soup in front of Amidamaru's face.

Wordlessly, he took it. Miyuki always came to Mosuke's defense and yet she was adamant that she wasn't in love with the older boy.

"Okay, fine," Mosuke flopped onto the ground. "Tomorrow. I'll make you a good sword. My father in heaven will laugh at me if I keep making those crappy swords."

"Looks like I need to make an extra pot of soup," Miyuki began cutting up some more vegetables. "I'll put in carrots--and no, not Fluffy. Fluffy is fermenting out in the garden…I swear you care about that rotten carrot more than anything else, Mosuke."

"Bah! Whatever!" Mosuke rolled over to a nearby, thin mat, blushing. "I need some sleep! Miyuki, tuck me in, my feet are cold!"

Miyuki tore her eyes away from Atsumi feeding Amidamaru and glared at Mosuke. "That's because the blankets are too short!" regardless, she tossed another blanket on top of his legs. "Here!"

"Mosuke! That's Miyuki's blankie!" Atsumi cried. "You can't use that!"

Mosuke's eyes widened. Miyuki gave him her blanket? "Bah, you can just sleep beside me when you're tired," Mosuke said, cutting off Miyuki before she could even explain why she did such a thing.

"W-What are you…!?" she stared, her eyes widened, blushing deeply.

"What? Atsumi and Amidamaru do it when a kid's sick and needs an extra blanket."

"Well…yeah…but they're, you know. In love…you're in love with a moldy carrot."

Mosuke rolled his eyes. She didn't seem to get it he just said that to tease her. "The offer still stands," is all he said as he curled up onto his side.

"Whatever!" she stormed away, making Amidamaru laugh…which quickly stopped when Atsumi yawned.

"If you're tired, you should go to bed. I can get the kids to bed on my own."

"Nuh-uh! You have no left arm, silly!" she grinned, flashing all the children running around her brightest smile. "Everyone! Please settle down! It's time to sleep!"

Crying their acknowledgment, the children scrambled around the temple, diving for blankets and mats and making themselves as comfortable as they could.

"You feeling okay," Amidamaru asked as he helped settle Atsumi into bed a few moments later when she complained of feeling dizzy. "Don't force yourself!"

"Yeah…I'll be fine," she insisted, making herself comfortable on her stomach.

"Then sleep well!" he wished cheerily, before curling up a few inches from her, in case she needed anything during the night.

"Really…those two…" Miyuki murmured, placing the freshly cooked pot of soup near Mosuke. "Here, your second meal. That way if you get randomly inspired during the middle of the night you won't be working on an empty stomach."

"Get to bed."

She glared down at him. "Is that an order Mo-su-ke-sa-ma?"

The nerve of him! She had made an extra meal for him, gave him her blanket and all he could do was order her around…

"Pfft, if I'm going to get up to make the sword, I'll need someone to pour water on the forge."

She flushed. Oh…so that's what he meant…Wordlessly, she crawled under the blanket with Mosuke, whom murmured a soft good night before dozing off.

Miyuki followed, but not for awhile yet. Sleeping beside her crush like this jarred her nerves.

* * *

Mosuke finished his sword that night with Miyuki's help. When the morning came, they presented it to Amidamaru and Atsumi and the four of them journeyed into the forest to test the newly crafted sword.

Choosing a sturdy, thick tree, Amidamaru swung the sword, enjoying the whistle the sharp blade made as it sliced through the air and the groaning moan and heavy thud as the tree fell to the ground, cleanly cut exactly where the teen had intended.

"Amazing! This is my new sword!? So you are pretty good at this!" Amidamaru eyes were filled with childish glee as he glanced back at Mosuke, sitting cross-legged on a rock as though it were his throne. "Is this the good iron you mentioned?"

"You better thank him!" Miyuki stood at Mosuke's side, while the young sword smith sat smugly. "He was up all night!"

"Ohhhhh," Atsumi leaned in, admiring the sword with Amidamaru. "It looks heavy and sharp."

"It is. He," Miyuki jerked her thumb at Mosuke. "Had me carry it back to the temple because his arms were sore. Turns out it takes a lot of effort to shape iron. It was really hot too."

"Eh?" Amidamaru and Atsumi blinked, though it was the boy who spoke. "You were there? Ehhhh~? Mosuke, you sly fox, you!"

Mosuke blushed, sputtering at Amidamaru's teasing taunt. "Me!? Speak for yourself!? I was up last night! I heard you talking in your sleep!"

Amidamaru flushed this time. But before he could protest and then swear Mosuke to secrecy, Atsumi latched onto his arm, rubbing her cheek against Amidamaru's developing bicep. "Hey! Show me again! It's really exciting watching you!"

"Of course! I'll show you as many times as you want!"

"Aww, geez," Mosuke laughed. "Don't I get any loving for making the sword?"

"Of course you do!" Atsumi hugged him, kissing his cheek. "You're my favourite, grumpy, carrot-obsessed big brother!"

"I know, I know," Mosuke affectionately touched Atsumi's hair. "Don't neglect me."

Screaming in frustration, Miyuki chased Atsumi away, back towards Amidamaru and, laughing, the two went a little further ahead to pick their next target.

"Hey," Miyuki sat down beside Mosuke. "Are you going to tell them where you got the iron?"

He looked at her for a moment, before looking at the excited duo. "Nah…they look happy now. I don't want to make them feel guilty."

"Are _you_ happy?"

"Well, yeah. I've helped out our little family, helped my best friend start to show off and develop his talents, and…I've definitely proved myself that I can make a mean sword."

"The fact your previous swords lasted up to such abuse, despite being made of inferior metals, is proof of your talents. I never doubted you. But that sword…I bet it'll still be around long after we're gone."

"Good! I'm glad a piece of us will live on even after we're 6 feet under. I'd really like it if that sword continued to help people even after Amidamaru can't anymore."

"As long as you make swords with those kinds of feelings…" Miyuki slowly leaned over until her head rested on his shoulder. "They definitely will."

"I'll hold you to that! You better keep it safe, Miyuki!"

"How about I'll haunt the Earth when I die until it disintegrates?"

Grinning, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, resting his head against hers, his cheeks flushed a light pink. "Sounds good to me…"

* * *

"Hey…I've been meaning to ask…" Amidamaru turned his head, looking at Miyuki laying a few inches to the north of him. "Why is your face red?"

"Go to hell," the girl snapped, pulling her blanket over her head.

"I'm…I'm going to try and sleep on my back tonight!" Atsumi suddenly announced, explaining herself without listening intently to the protest of Amidamaru and Miyuki. "I…I want to become stronger…so I can be like you guys."

"You can sleep on me if you want," Mosuke offered.

"You…She can't!"

"Because you're the only one who can be on top of Mosuke?" Amidamaru asked, grinning when Miyuki turned red again and hid, once more, under the blanket. "Hehehe….you can sleep on me though, Atsumi."

"I won't be too heavy?"

"Nope! You're light as a feather!"

"You're not _that _strong."

"Hey!"

Mosuke chuckled. "But you're really talented already. It'd be awesome if the best samurai in Japan wielded my sword."

Amidamaru was laughing as well. "Hey, hey, what's with that talk? Yeah, it's a good sword but…" he gasped, sitting up. "The iron the sword is made out of…!? Did you melt…!?"

"We had no choice. We don't have the money for iron."

"Miyuki!?" the lavender haired boy rounded on the green-haired girl. "You knew!? And you let him!"

"…How could I deny someone with such pure and honest feelings…"

"Nii-saaaaaan," Atsumi wailed, tugging on Mosuke's yukata, trying to get him to face everyone.

"Don't worry about it," Mosuke smirked, even though no one could see. "I know you'll protect us."

Touched by his friend's words and the gesture of melting down and reforming the precious hunting knife into a sword, Amidamaru silently began to cry, the tears splashing onto the surface of the blade, making it glow silver in the moonlight shining over head.

"Yeah…I understand…with this sword, I'll become a great swordsman. Damn it," Amidamaru rubbed at his eyes. "It's starting to rain, even though it's spring….Harusame…let's call it Harusame…"

"It's a pretty name…" Miyuki agreed, writing the kanji in the ground, having learnt to write since she came from a noble family.

Atsumi looked up at Amidamaru, her own tears trickling down her face, along with those of Amidamaru's that fell onto her. "It's nice that it's raining…"

Amidamaru returned her smile through his tears. "Yeah…it's nice…"

"Maybe we'll be reborn?" Miyuki suggested.

Mosuke snorted. "Only a temple keeper would suggest something like that."

The four friends lapsed into silence. Someone started to laugh, and then another joined in, and soon all four of them were laughing, curling up all together to sleep, happy and content with their lives…all dreaming of the futures they would eventually have…

Together.

* * *

Tokageroh's harsh, cruel voice jerked Miyuki and Amidamaru out of their memories and back to the present. "HEY! What're you waiting for!? You're that troubled? Fine! Stay that way a little longer! Suffer as long and as much as you need to. Whoa, what's with that look!" he recoiled slightly when Amidamaru glared fiercely at him. "Do you want me to decapitate the hostage? Or how about I stomp on her back!? Are you thinking you can defeat me somehow? Hah! You don't have the guts while I'm in this borrowed body!"

"He doesn't understand your strength," Yoh remarked, smiling up at Amidamaru. "Don't apologize. This situation isn't your fault."

Startled but touched, Amidamaru smiled before moving Yoh's body into a fighting stance. He knew what he had to do. As painful it would be, he knew what he had to do. Thus, without a hint of hesitation, Yoh and Amidamaru attacked and shattered the legendary Harusame. When the sword shattered, everyone's breath froze in their lungs, as if they had suffered a great, personal loss…whether they had been there 600 years ago when Harusame was forged, or if they were seeing it for the first time that night.

With Harusame destroyed, Tokageroh lost his way of threatening the hostages. Thanks to Amidamaru remembering what the Harusame stood for--protecting one's friends no matter what the sacrifice-- Manta and Atsumi were able to be saved, pulled away from Tokageroh while the spirit was pinned down by Ryu's friends.

"I think it's time you pass on," Yoh said, releasing his hyou gattei, in a voice that wasn't harsh or stern, but friendly…as though he was making a simply suggestion and not ordering the spirit away.

Noticing this, Mahoko quickly looked back towards Kotomi, who was in the process of turning Atsumi onto her stomach with Rei-chan's help. "Yoh's really cool huh? Can I have him even though he's younger than me--AUGH!" Mahoko gasped in disgust as Kotomi carefully pealed away Atsumi's and revealed large spots of sores on the surface of Atsumi's back. "That's gotta be the grossest thing I've ever seen! I seriously thought incest dating sims were bad!"

"I'm sorry…" Kotomi breathed, cautiously touching some clear skin on Atsumi's back. "I should have been more careful with you…I never seem to think things through clearly, do I?"

"It's good that you realized that…but what are we going to do about this?" Mahoko asked. "I don't know much, but I think she's in shock."

Manta straigned his neck, trying to see what the girls were talking about. Even though Rei-chan was working hard on untying the ropes that bound the small boy, it was taking time. All Manta could see from where they were violent splashes of purples, reds and blacks. From where he was, it just looked like Atsumi's back was severly bruised. But after he was free and got closer, he saw that the darker spots were open sores, the reds and purples caused by different levels of skin irritation.

"I-I think it's pemphigus or something," Manta shuddered, recoiling slightly. The pictures of the skin disorder he'd seen in medical textbooks(his father insisted on Manta having a well-rounded education) had never been that bad. "You're supposed to take antibiotics and stuff…"

"They didn't have antibiotics back then," Kotomi said needlessly. All those around clearly knew the reason almost every part of her back was covered in the oozing sores was because medicine in feudal times was little to none existent. Prayers were the more preferred, more reliable method for curing sickness.

But praying didn't seem likely to help them now.

"Um…I…I know what Shiran-san does when Hanako-san's sores hurt…" Rei-chan offered timidly, remembering how Atsumi's grandmother, Shiran, would heal the cuts and scraps of children, and even more severe injuries, such as the sores on Hanako's, Atsumi's mother's, face. "Her hands get all glowy and she rubs the sores gently until they scab over. I think…they glow because of fury…fury…furyoku…"

"Furyoku?" Manta repeated.

"Ah, um…" Rei-chan scratched his head, unsure. "Like…spirit energy, or something."

Kotomi glanced down at her hands. Furyoku. She was vaguely familiar with the term. Kansai shaman clans often tried to teach the next generation the necessary skills to be a successful shaman as quickly as possible. Furyoku was one lesson Kotomi had definitely paid attention in, so she understood it's use and nuances…but could she really use her furyoku to heal Atsumi? Concentrating, Kotomi stared at her hands and was pleasantly startled when a yellow haze, formed around them for a moment, before disappearing. Again, she concentrated on her hands and forcing her furyoku into them, but this time she tried a little harder, and this time the glow stayed.

"Y-Yeah…! That's it!" Rei-chan cried. "Then Shiran-san would concentrate it into her fingers. Yeah, yeah, like that…sorta," Rei-chan smiled inn what he thought was an encouraging manner when a large portion of the glow crept into her fingers.

Confident thanks to Rei-chan's comments, Kotomi carefully touched the bumps littering Atsumi's back, and when she didn't recoil, she slowly began to rub like Rei-chan told her too. Soon, the bumps went down, scabbing over just like Rei-chan said they would, and Atsumi began to regain consciousness.

"Please, bear with a little longer," Amidamaru spoke softly, having joined the girls, Manta and Rei-chan, to make sure Atsumi was alright. With Tokageroh busy dealing with Ryu's friends, he felt he could risk checking on his love. Yoh would surely be all right for a few minutes. "Kotomi-dono is trying to heal your wounds"

Atsumi froze. "S-So she…I'm sorry Kotomi-chan…I never wanted you to see this…" she sat up, trying not to irritate the newly scabbed sores. She could feel that, even though Kotomi tried her best, the scabs were barely there and would come off with excessive movement. "Please, don't think it's because I don't like or trust you that I didn't want you to see, I don't like any of my loved ones seeing me like this. It's revolting. I don't know why I hurt everywhere, but I'd rather live with it than show this ugly part of myself."

She sighed, pulling her kimono back on(the more meek Rei-chan and Manta had already squeamishly covered her eyes at her state of undress). "If only I could return to my homeland…I could have my grandmother get rid of this like she did for my mother…and I…I would be able to do the same for her."

"Then, please wait a little longer," said Kotomi, earnestly. "I'll have to return home to Nara at some point…you can come with me then! Are…Are you alright, now?"

"Yes, this is nothing compared to my usual episodes. Oh, and come now, Amidamaru," she waved her hand at him playfully when she noticed his scowling, worried features. "I've been in worse pain then this! Much, much worse…"

"That doesn't mean I can't worry!"

"Don't. Worrying about me isn't your job, now is it?" Atsumi smiled, touched despite her chiding tone.

"It's a part of loving you, so I've already accepted it," Amidamaru explained, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Gah! No! You'll make me into a porcupine again!"

"But you're adorable with your hair spiky."

A slightly green tinge to her screen, Mahoko watched the joking, laughing couple. "If that's what it's like to be in love…I'm becoming asexual."

Tokageroh grit his teeth, a snarl of anger and frustration building in his throat. They were mocking him! All this time spent planning, all this hard work…and for what?! Amidamaru was happier than ever, and Tokageroh, himself, was as miserable as ever…probably more so.

"You could become like them, you know. Have loved ones and friends. You just need to take the first step," in a gesture of friendship, Yoh spread his arms out towards Tokageroh, as if to embrace him. "I'll be your friend."

Suddenly all playful banter and conversation ceased, even the noisy cicadas fell silent. The summer air was heavy, anxious.

"You serious?"

"Yeah."

"You're all talk!" Tokageroh snapped.

"Oh, is that so…? Then how about…" Yoh pressed a hand to his chest, over his heart. "I lend you this body?"

A smirk slowly broke out across Tokageroh's face. "I might kill you the second I posses you."

Yoh smiled, his words chilling the spectators to the very depths of their soul.

"So be it."


	16. Continuations and Beginnings

(Ichigo: And another chapter~! And the conclusion to the Tokageroh arc!

Orenji: Enjoy everyone! Leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King. It wouldn't have gone on hiatus for so long if we did own it!

* * *

Chapter 15: Continuations and Beginnings

_Ka-boom!_

"JEEZ! YOU MORON! You had me so worried! I can't believe you, Yoh! I was so worried, I probably developed a stomach ulcer! You just let him take over your body, and he looked like he was going to kill you or something! I nearly had a heart attack! You took ten years off my life with that stunt! Next time you wanna scare someone to death, put an ice cube down their shirt!" Kotomi took a deep breath. "Do you hear me!?"

Yoh lay there on the ground, dazed, clutching the back of his head where it connected with the hardwood floor. She had bowled him over by the sheer volume of her voice. Never had he ever seen someone practically explode upon seeing him.

He had never seen Kotomi so angry.

He'll admit, that letting Tokageroh posses him had been a risk, but it was one he had to take, and he happily did so. He knew Tokageroh wouldn't hurt him, but that hadn't been as obvious to the others watching, it seemed.

And now, after all he's been through, he's been reduced to being the _boke_ to Kotomi's _tsukkomi_ in some twisted Kansai-comedy if the giant "OWNED" sign Manta and Mahoko were holding up was any indication.

Or was that just an image produced by neurons in his brain misfiring because of the fall?

"Kotomi, if you don't want me to kick you out of my house, _kindly_ stop beating up my fiancé and help him off the ground!"

"R-Right," Kotomi hurried over and helped Yoh up, apologizing and trying hard not to stare at the lightly tanned skinned exposed by his white, sleeping yukata. It was even more tempting to try and glance down it.

Ah, the joys of bathroom line-ups.

"It's okay," Yoh staggered, trying not to fall over or into Kotomi. His ears were still ringing.

"I haven't seen such a cute boy in a yukata since…" Mahoko trailed off, giggling a little.

"Since me?" Manta suggested hopefully.

"You're more like…a little cousin who topples over and you poke his rear because you caught a glimpse and he's just a toddler."

Manta hung his head. Why did he even bother?

"Shh! Shh!" Kotomi covered Mahoko's mouth, pressing a finger to her lips as she whispered, "Don't draw attention to his state of dress! All that skin'll get covered up!"

"Eh? Don't bring attention to it? YOH, YOU HAVE AN AD…" Mahoko's sing-song voice stopped abruptly, as she noticed Yoh and Anna at the sink, discussing Ryu and his condition. "Heeeeey, don't ignore me! You people should listen to me more…"

"What do you think?" inquired Anna as she peered at her reflection in the mirror. She was toying with the idea of wearing her hair up. "About Tokageroh…it's strange that such a weak spirit could take over Ryu's body…"

"It's very strange," Horo Horo's voice agreed from the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of the toilet flushing. When he exited, he was staring at his stomach, perplexed. "Maybe I'm constipated."

"UWAH! IT STINKS!" Kotomi stumbled away, pinching her nose as noxious fumes drifted from the bathroom Horo Horo had just exited.

"Ahhh…the stench of Horo in the morning," Mahoko spoke with a refined tone, as though she were discussing the rich bouquet of a bottle of wine made of berries and fruit, and not…whatever was in Horo Horo's bodily gases. Perhaps paying closer attention to his diet was a good thing. "And Yoh and Anna are still talking like nothing happened. Damn you married couples and your conversations of…coupleness."

Horo Horo patted Kotomi's shoulders sympathetically as she was crushed by a rock. He could sympathize. He was about to offer words of support and encouragement, but then Anna noticed the stench and shoved Horo Horo violently back into the bathroom, suggesting he should stay there for awhile. So instead, he said, "Maybe I'm not getting enough vegetables…"

"That's generally the cause of constipation, I do believe…"

"Ewwww," Mahoko clamped her hands over her ears. The curse of having a best friend whose mother was a doctor and nutritionist. "TMI! TMI!"

"Then don't eavesdrop on me," Horo Horo suggested, mentally preparing himself for another long sojourn in the bathroom.

"It's not eavesdropping if you're talking in a stage whisper. Anyway, you want some of my vegetarian stir fry? It might help."

The door slid open and Horo Horo's blue-topped head popped out. "Yes, please."

She motioned at him to follow as she left and he trotted after her obediently.

Hopefully, her stir fry wouldn't inspire some rapid bowel movements.

* * *

"I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused!" Ryu rose from his low bow long enough to glance at his friends, sitting behind him. "They filled me in."

The teenagers, seated around the tea table, stared at Ryu. Having Ryu kneeling and bowing before them all was a little disconcerting, only Anna and Horo Horo seemed unaffected by Ryu's humble apology…Anna just looked on, bored, and Horo Horo continued to eat his bowl of rice topped with Mahoko's stir fry.

"It wasn't your fault," Manta pointed out.

"Right!" Yoh chimed in. "You were possessed!"

"No! I was possessed because I'm weak and impure! Since I was born, I've been like a child trying to find his home. I've always been alone. Only my friends were kind enough to look after me. A heart with such a void is what called Tokageroh. I know that I can't make up for what I did with just an apology. But still…I can't do anything! I'm sorry, Master Amidamaru!"

Mahoko scoffed. "Master…"

"Wait wait wait wait!" Kotomi waved her hand, silencing Mahoko and everyone else before they could say anything else. "He said 'Master Amidamaru', right!?"

Mahoko blinked. "Yeah…he's looking straight at him, right? Makes sense he'd call the guy he was…looking at…and can see…" she trailed off slowly as comprehension dawned. "Ohh…"

Tiny Manta leapt to his feet. "What!? You can see him!?"

"Clearly. Can't you?" Ryu said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, and making Amidamaru's eyeballs bulge.

Kotomi's eyes were large as well. "A-Are you sure he's really Ryu….? He didn't notice Amidamaru at all the first time we met him at the cemetery! He thought it was all Yoh's doing with the pompadour…thingy."

"It seems being possessed has opened Ryu's spiritual eye," Anna grabbed one of her rice crackers and took a bite. "In other words…"

"Bokuto no Ryu has become a shaman…" Yoh finished in awe.

"Oh! Congratulations!" Atsumi cheered enthusiastically, clapping.

Extracting her video camera from her bag, Kotomi immediately began to film Ryu, as though somehow now that he was a shaman he would show up different on film. "Wow! Tokyo's such an amazing place…turning people into shamans and all."

"That explains why he came to so fast. It's really amazing to see first hand."

"It's because he's finally become a good person, it's so touching!" Atsumi sniffled, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Maybe you should stay away from places with too many waves of emotion…"

"You should've seen her when Mayuki died," Kotomi giggled. "I thought the house was going to flood!"

"That _was_ really sad, though," Anna agreed.

"What!? Mayuki died!?" Mahoko slumped over. "When did this happen!? Gah! No one told me the new episode was out!"

Horo Horo blinked, his arms and hands containing a nearly empty bowl and a pair of chopsticks, staring down at the girl who all but fell, face first into his lap, for a wonderful few seconds until he asked, "Who's Mayuki?"

She jerked upright, joining in with Anna, Kotomi and Atsumi in saying, "Himeka and Himika's mother!"

"….Who?"

The girls stared at him, aghast. "Don't you watch _Makoto_!?"

"….Who?"

Looking as though he had personally offended her, Mahoko punched Horo Horo, knocking the boy to the ground. The girls then launched in an explanation, giving a detailed summary of the first ten episodes, and then launching into a passionate discussion of the characters, motives and speculations of future episodes. Horo Horo got as far as Makoto being an orphan, son of a samurai, who fled to Kyoto as a baby with Mayuki, his mother's friend who died when he was 6, and her two daughters, Himeka and Himika, and that they had a feeling that Makoto was going to fall to pieces, before he stopped caring.

As Rei-chan kindly refilling his bowl, Horo Horo decided that if he ever met the guy Makoto was based on (the girls _insisted_ it was based on a true story and it wasn't just a marketing gimmick) he was going to give him a piece of his mind. If only because he was making his life harder with women by raising the bar, and making Mahoko dislike him even more.

God damn.

Thankfully, Ryu's friends finally seem to have gathered their wits about them enough to start showering Ryu in praise, and the girls finally stopped their ramblings when Ryu's voice rose sharply above theirs.

"There's no time for celebration! While Master Amidamaru's Harusame remains broken…I, Bokuto no Ryu, must atone, for it is I who is to blame!"

"You're being a little over dramatic," Mahoko pointed out, as though she hadn't just spent the last five minutes doing what could only be called fangirling.

"D-Didn't you listen to anything I said?"

"I did, but it's silly to bring up things you can't change, right? It's in the past now."

Everyone stared. Mahoko had actually said something mature and wise…

"T-That's something Nii-san would've said," Atsumi sniffled.

Miyuki, who had sat quietly the entire time, suddenly looked like she had been struck. "H-Hey, don't bring him up!"

"Who's Nii-san?" Kotomi asked, blinking when Atsumi covered her mouth as though she let slip a cuss word.

"Weeeellll, I think it's time us green people go home," Mahoko jumped to her feet, extracting a tablet, tapping it and making Manta shrink against the wall when Miyuki rushed past him in a blur of colour and into the tablet.

"I'll go too…!" Kotomi leapt to her feet. She had a feeling Atsumi and Amidamaru needed some time to sort things out amongst themselves, and if she was around Atsumi would fuss over her, and try to apologize some more for scarring Kotomi's mind with her sores. "I'm hungry! I can go to a convenience store! I'll bring you some curry bread, Yoh!"

Yoh's eyes widened, and somewhere, in the back of his mind, he could hear the same angels that sang when Kotomi bought him Bob Love's new single not long after they first met. "Really!? You will!?" he jumped to his feet, embracing Kotomi so tightly and enthusiastically, a blushing Kotomi swore her feet left the ground for a few moments.

"Congrats, Komi. You're no longer a hug vir--OW!" Mahoko yelped as Kotomi, now free from the Asakura's enthusiastic embrace, grabbed Mahoko's ponytail and pulled the girl off by it.

"Bye bye, everyone~!"

"She's certainly pleased," Amidamaru pointed out, rather unnecessarily.

"Mm…I'd be excited"

Amidamaru blinked for a moment, before breaking out in a wide smile and holding out his arms to Atsumi. "You want a hug?"

"No."

Amidamaru's expression vanished, and even his spiky hair seemed to droop from the weight of disappointment. "Oh…"

Silently, Atsumi vanished, and just as silently, Amidamaru did as well.

Yoh frowned, saddened by the cold treatment between the usual happy couple.

Indifferent, Anna picked up another cracked to munch on. "Prudish samurai."

* * *

When Atsumi re-appeared, she was in the room that contained the ruined Harusame. She stood there for a long moment, staring sadly down at it.

"Nii-san, it's not bad to talk about you, right?" tears already forming in her eyes, she dropped to the ground, eyeing the damaged Harusame and its sheath. "You should be here to cheer everyone up, I can't do it on my own. I can't talk about my baby and now I can't even talk about you or Harusame…so, come and visit soon okay?"

"You could talk to me, you know…" Amidamaru reminded her softly, quietly entering the room as though it were a sick room or even the family altar room.

"No," she said immediately.

"Why not? What's wrong with me?"

"You're not ready to hear what I have to say, I can feel it."

Amidamaru's lips pressed firmly together, holding his tongue as he tried to suppress the annoyance bubbling up. She always told him things like this…that he wasn't ready, that she could tell what he was feeling and refused to change her mind no matter what he did or said…

That was the one thing about her that always bothered him.

"You don't trust me anymore?" he said, finally.

"I know exactly what you're feeling right now," she spoke coldly, almost as though reprimanding him for thinking he can convince her other wise. "I can't read mind, but emotions I can sense, even across this room. You're much to afraid to hear about it. Your curiosity dominates your mind, but the fear is underlining."

Stung, as he always was when she pealed away his layers and exposed the ugly parts of him, he narrowed his eyes. "But it's okay to tell Mosuke?"

"Mosuke doesn't have that…emotional attachment. He was a spirit by the end of that night too, you know…"

Taken aback, he sputtered, "I see…I see…but…you ended up in the cemetery."

"I did. Mosuke stayed with Harusame, and I made sure Miyuki and the others made it out of Edo safely."

Ignoring the sharp jab of fear in his stomach, he asked, "Did you try to find me…?"

Atsumi lowered her head, as though overcome with bitter disappointment. "You were too violent to approach…and then you were sealed away."

The two stayed silent for a long time. Finally, Amidamaru sighed and sat down before Harusame, keeping a respectable distance from Atsumi. "Do you blame me?"

"I seem to lack that ability."

"If I'd known, that that night you were going to give birth…I would have stayed, Atsumi."

"Don't talk about that Amidamaru," she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and said in a much softer tone, "These things can be triggered by stress…if it weren't for what happened that night, it wouldn't have happened for a few more days…"

The samurai bowed his head. So his failure and his death took her life as well…

"It's my body's fault for being weak, not yours."

"That's…That's not true! Don't blame it on yourself!"

"You weren't there. You don't know."

"True. I wish I had been there, though."

"I've pushed it into the back of my mind. I'm satisfied. Even though I died, I died doing what I loved. Isn't that comforting? Dying to save a life. I couldn't see myself dying of old age. My disease would have done me in eventually, like my grandmother and mother before me."

"Maybe…" Amidamaru smiled fondly. "But I would have done everything I could to give you as long as a life I could."

"What I'm saying is," she continued, smiling softly at his words. "Even though I died, a baby got to live instead. That's why I'm satisfied…and he had the best of mother's…Miyuki raised him. I love to hear the stories."

Amidamaru practically jumped in shock. Miyuki had raised his child? He had never heard about this. He just assumed that his child had been an orphan, without parents. "This…This is another example of you thinking I'm ready to hear, isn't it?"

She stood up without answering, instead saying. "I need to go see if Miyuki's alright," she glanced at Amidamaru when he sighed, disappointed and irritated at once. "Well…what would make you feel better?"

Quick as a flash, he snatched up a handful of her kimono's sleeve, and tugged her back down, covering her lips with his, kissing her deeply, thoroughly, for a long moment. When he slowly pulled away at last, there was a confident smirk creasing his lips. "That's a good start."

"W-What was that!?"

"A kiss. We've done it before, remember?"

Atsumi blushed, carefully touching her lips. Even though Amidamaru was a ghost, she could remember, and thus imagine, the warmth that Amidamaru's lips would have possessed if he had still been alive. If blood still flowed through her veins, she was sure her lips would be bruised and swollen from the pressure alone.

"There's more of that if you come see me, as soon as you return."

"We shall see…" Atsumi smiled, truly smiled, as she disappeared.

She couldn't help but smile. After all, it was like they were alive, young, and had only just begun a successful relationship after a long, long courtship…

And Amidamaru couldn't help but smile for the same reason. Even if he was dim, even if his motivational speeches tended to lack impact at times…at least he could make her smile and feel loved.

"GAAAH!"

Startled out of his pleasant thoughts, Amidamaru lifted his arm, feeling something moving around inside his cloak and found Rei-chan curled up there. "What are you…?"

"Moeka and Maeka are gunna get me, Oji-san! Because I failed to protect their daddy's sword safe, Maeka's gunna beat me up!"

"What? You're not to blame at all!"

"Tell Maeka that!" Rei-chan glanced up at Amidamaru, looking utterly unafraid apart from the panic in his voice when he spoke. "I can't fight a girl! It goes against my name!"

Amidamaru's eye's widened. Immediately, Amidamaru remembered the code of samurai, Bushido, and one of the virtues and beliefs samurai are supposed to follow.

Respect…Rei.

"You're named after Bushido?"

"Yeah, Moeka picked my name when I was just a baby. Because of my dad. I don't know if he was a samurai or anything, he died before I was born, but apparently he taught Moeka and Maeka about that kind of stuff…he was really close to Moeka and Maeka's papa so they saw him a lot."

Rei-chan smile was twisted, as though he was sad but trying to hide it. "That's about all I know about my dad…I was young when Miyuki-baachan died, so I never heard much about him…If you look at Moeka and Maeka now, that's the age they were when she died. Because I knew we were going to get separated, I got really emotional and…I split our souls…so we could be together, as a family, forever…I…I didn't want to be all alone again…"

Rei-chan tried hard, very hard, not to remember the days before Moeka showed up and pulled him through the wheat field and into a world of ghosts and happiness. He was worked to the bone for just a little bit of rice, treated like a slave by his only blood relative, his mother's aunt.

That had been the worst kind of loneliness…surrounded by people yet not close to a single one.

"I wish…I could have split souls when I was a baby…so I would still be with Mom…"

Amidamaru gathered Rei-chan into his arms, hugging him tightly. The boy's last words had struck Amidamaru to the core. Even if his gut feeling was wrong, even if Moeka and Maeka knew some other close friend of Mosuke's that was a samurai and had taught them bushido, he wanted to be Rei-chan's father…he wanted to ease that loneliness.

Because he could understand it…it was the same pain he felt when he was released from confinement and lived in the cemetery…he was in a place full of ghosts, but he hadn't a single friend. When he joined the ranks of the shoguns men, he hadn't been close to any of his fellow warriors, either.

"H-Hey, are you okay, Oji-san?"

"Rei-chan…" Amidamaru spoke slowly, trying to keep his voice sounding calm despite how nervous he felt. "I'm sure, one day, you'll learn more about your parents, and maybe meet them."

"Eh? But I know enough, so I'm okay. The older me, the sulky one, know who my parents are, but he won't tell me. He says he used to talk to Mom all the time when he was younger, and that he used to visit Dad's grave and leave offerings of rice…" Rei-chan trailed off as he yawned.

"All that running made me tired…"

Amidamaru shed off his cloak without a word. "You can sleep on this. It's a poor substitute for a lap…but it'll soften the floor. I'll keep an eye out for Maeka-chan."

"Really? Wow! You're so cool! You're like my body guard!"

The samurai blushed, scratching at his cheek. "Well…I'm flattered…"

"I mean, it…you're cool…" Rei-chan mumbled as he settled down to sleep, smiling when Amidamaru began stroking his hair. "It'll spike up if you do that…"

"Sorry…" Amidamaru apologized, but didn't stop. "You probably don't want hair like mine."

"Eh? But I want to be like you. I don't hate humans," Rei-chan eyes were drooping, but he forced himself to continue. "I'm basically a human…Manta can see spirits, I can see spirits…I just split souls every few decades…"

"I see…"

"Yeah, so…" he yawned, shutting is eyes. Amidamaru's hand in his hair was nice. "Don't think I don't like you…I do…a lot…a whole lot…"

Amidamaru's expression softened, watching the small boy sleep next to him. It was a memory he had wanted to make with his own children, with his and Atsumi's children.

Maybe…Rei really was…

And if Rei wasn't theirs, he could be theirs, their child…

After all, bonds of family are stronger than bonds of blood.

* * *

"Call Mosuke?" Amidamaru blinked, surprised by the news that Yoh was planning on having Mosuke brought back to fix the Harusame by placing Mosuke's spirit into Ryuu.

"Don't get too blubbery kay, Miyuki?" Mahoko said, half-joking and half-serious.

"I-I won't cry or anything," Miyuki blushed to the roots of her hair, flustered. "I'm going to break his face in!"

"Mmhmm," Atsumi giggled into her sleeve. "If by breaking his face, you mean knocking him down because you tackled him so you could hug him."

"You did cry when he returned from a 2-day fishing trip," Amidamaru added, suddenly at Atsumi's side, arm's crossed, and nodding sagely to himself.

"Hehe, don't tease her, Amidamaru," Yoh told the samurai, who had barely dodged a knock-out blow from Miyuki by quickly darting away and taking refuge behind Atsumi, whom was greatly amused by the exchange. "You're embarrassed to see Mosuke, too, after all!"

Shocked, Amidamaru managed to fall out of the air, crashing hard to the ground. "W-Why should I be embarrassed!?" he said after he had righted himself. "I…I just don't know what to talk about!"

Yoh smiled softly, understandingly. "You don't need to talk about anything…"

"Alright," Anna pulled off her beads, deciding discussion were over. "Let's start."

"Are you really going to cry?" Kotomi asked Miyuki as Anna chanted in the background.

"N-NO!"

"I'm going to go hang out over there," Mahoko gestured towards the porch that over looked the yard, several meters away. "Last thing I need is to see my role model blubbering over an ancestor of mine."

"Have fun, Mako!" Kotomi wished her best friend, waving at the taller and older girl's back until she had reached her destination and headed inside the onsen. Feeling a tug on her skirt, Kotomi peered down and found Rei-chan grasping the material, rubbing at his eye's sleepily. He had been sleeping the entire time.

"Hey," he said sleepily. "Hey, why is Ba-chan going to cry? What's going on…?"

"Um, well…" Kotomi crouched down. "Mosuke-san's coming."

Rei's eyes widened. Mosuke…Mosuke was Moeka and Maeka's father. He had to go get them, and so he disappeared to fetch their tablets from Kotomi's home without hesitation.

"Amidamaru…" Mosuke's voice was menacing as it echoed out of Ryu's body, making everyone pay rapt attention, particularly when he lunged forward towards Amidamaru, fist raised. "You bastard! How dare you break my katana again! How many times do I have to tell you not to break it and then come home! You idiot!"

"What about you!?" Amidamaru roared, lunging forward towards Mosuke, fist also raised. "You made me wait for 600 years! You stubborn fool!"

"F-Fist fight!?" Kotomi gasped, terrified by the bone-jarring punches the two friends delivered to each-other's faces.

Despite the fact the two men had already started the activity Miyuki swore she was going to indulge in once Mosuke returned, Miyuki was no where near raising her fists against her husband. In fact, her fists were clenched tightly at her side as she tried to stem her tears, sniffles and sobs. Seeing Mosuke again, after ten lonely years of life, and almost six hundred lonely years as a spirit, was too much for the broken-hearted woman to bear.

Oh, how much she wanted to see him…

"MOSUKE!" Miyuki sprinted and hugged Mosuke tightly, squeezing him. "I missed you! I missed you! Why did you leave, you big oaf!? I promised didn't I!? I promised I wouldn't pass on until Harusame turned to dust! Why did you leave!?"

"Ahhh….you're so stubborn," Mosuke hugged her fiercely. His tone sounded chiding, but his expression was affectionate. He thought that stubborn nature of hers was a good thing, something that made her endearing and made him love her. "Hey, I wanted to see you, too, Amidamaru."

Amidamaru sheepishly raised his hands, caught in trying to quietly back away from the scene to give the couple some privacy. "I didn't want to bother your reunion with Miyuki."

"Idiot, I have plenty of time to fix Harusame and catch up with everyone--"

"PAPA!" the spirits turned and found Moeka and Maeka sprinting towards Mosuke, Rei-chan smiling sadly in the distance, their tablets in his hands. "Papa, you're back! Welcome home!"

"H-Hey! I barely recognize you guys!" Mosuke reached down, affectionately touching the girls' hair when they hugged his legs tightly. "You're all grown up!"

"I-I can't believe what I'm seeing," Manta gasped. "The brash, awkward guy we met at the museum…you sure you got the right person, Anna--GAH!"

"Being a parent changes people~!" Kotomi sang, ignoring Manta's steaming corpse nearby, a result of Anna's slap.

"Hey, how long are you staying, Papa?" Moeka asked, still clinging tightly to Mosuke's clothes. "Mama was really sad when you left. She really, really missed you!"

"Well," Mosuke beamed down at his two girls. "We'll just have to work hard and cheer her up while I'm here. Miyuki, you'll stay here and help me out, right? Amidamaru would just mess things up."

Miyuki smiled softly. "Of course, I will," coughing so that she might return to her normal outwards appearance, she added. "Not like you can fire me from my assistance position, anyway! As if you could find a replacement for me…for anything!"

"I've never had the need too," Mosuke assured her.

"I guess Harusame'll be fixed now, huh…?" Manta said as he rose to his feet, brushing the dirt off his clothes, ignoring the large, throbbing bump on his head.

"Mm…" Kotomi agreed. "And it looks like Miyuki-san will finally get the closure she's been hoping for…"

"Yeah…" Yoh smiled, adding, "It's nice that the twins are here as well."

"Mm…" Rei-chan smiled a little sadly.

"Ah, I'm sure you'll see your family soon! You just gotta hang in there! Don't be sad! Pull yourself together." Kotomi clenched her fists, determined.

"Speaking of hanging in there and pulling themselves together…" Manta trailed off, glancing at Asumi.

Kotomi and Yoh sweatdropped. When Mosuke appeared, Atsumi had settled herself off to the side, sniffling enthusiastically into a handkerchief, and now she was crying in addiction to the sniffling and sobbing.

"You're still going…?" Kotomi asked.

Atsumi blew her nose, unable to answer.

Apparently, Atsumi was going to be crying for a while yet. She really couldn't handle touching situations.

Fictitious or not.

* * *

"So that's the guy who's gunna fix the sword?" Mahoko blinked, surprised to find Horo Horo's voice so close, a support beam for the porch's roof separating them. She didn't think he was still awake, or would even come see what was going on. "Miyuki must be happy. The guy who was supposed to fix the sword is her husband, right?"

"Yeah, that's Mosuke."

"You know," Horo Horo grinned at her general direction, even though he couldn't see her because of the beam. "If you want to give them some alone time, you can come hang out with me. I was thinking of making a bowl or two of butter rice for a bed time snack."

Mahoko sighed, turning her back on the happy family and friends, starting to feel jealous. "Sure, butter rice is good. I mean, I know it sounds like I wouldn't, but since I move a lot I like things that are easy to make…" Mahoko trailed off, staring at what she found after rounding the beam to get a look at Horo Horo. He was dressed in a white sleeping yukata as he always was at night. It was his hair that was shocking. His headband was gone, and the hair that normally stood straight, drooped and flopped over, some strands falling sexily in his eyes.

"What?" he asked, smirking, noticing her gaze but giving her the chance to give him an excuse for why her mouth was open and drool was dribbling down her chin. "Does the fact I took a bath make me more appealing?"

"What?" she snapped her mouth shut. "Y-You were always kind cute!"

"…hehehe, well, you're pretty cute, too!"

"Well, I knew that without you telling me. Thanks for the compliment, though."

"Ehhh, so cocky!" he sang, wrapping one arm around her neck, rubbing the knuckles of his other hand into her skull. "What's with that attitude, huh!?"

"Hey! Hey! Abusive! Abusive! I can't breath, you gay boardhead!"

"I'm not gay," Horo Horo sulked as he dragged Mahoko through the onsen and into the kitchen. "Now, how much rice do you want!? Small, medium, large?"

"I could eat a horse."

"Large then! Now, butter, butter…" Horo Horo murmured to himself, pulling out a jar of rice grains and a dish of butter out of the cupboards. "But why are you so hungry, though? I thought I was the only one who ate entire meals for snacks."

"Oh, well, I rushed over last night, so I haven't really eaten anything since then, and I'm kinda on a diet."

Squawking, Horo Horo scrambled to catch the jar of rice before it ended up on the floor. "What!? You!? You don't need to diet! I mean, if you weigh more than Kotomi that's because you do sports and stuff! It's all muscle! You're not fat! You're fine the way you are! Don't ruin your health for the beauty that you already have!"

"Pffft," Mahoko snickered. "You sound like my mom."

"No. I sound like a doting boyfriend, like the hero of a shoujo manga! The one girls wish were real and dream about!" he sighed, suddenly depressed, shutting the lid on the rice cooker and pushing the start button. "I want to be a doting boyfriend…it'd be nice to be a doting boyfriend…"

"With nice things like that, you will!" Mahoko smiled, finding his actions adorable. "Maybe you'll meet a nice girl during the shaman fight?"

"I've already met nice girls," he sighed, opened the lid of the rice cooker when it beeped. "But they're all in love with some other guy already."

"Really? Man, that sucks," Mahoko patted his back as he stood over the breakfast table where she sat, setting up the dishes. "Who's the player?"

"Yoh. He has Anna as a fiancée, and he's got you and Kotomi pinning after him."

"AHAHA!" Mahoko clutched her sides as she laughed rambunctiously. "You…You think I like Yoh!?"

"Y-You were making sexual comments about him this morning!"

"I do that with all my guy friends," Mahoko whipped a tear from her eye, the laughter ceasing. "I mean, he's a cute guy and all, but he's not my type."

"I-I see…I mean, of course! I knew that!"

"Ehh? Are you blushing?" Mahoko smiled around her chopsticks, having taken a bite of rice. "You're so cute."

"T-There's nothing cute about blushing if you're a guy!"

"Fine then. You're not cute."

"GAH! Don't take it back! That was the best thing that happened today!" Horo Horo sighed as Mahoko laughed. "Just eat your rice, have as much as you want, I'll carry you back to your room if I have to, just don't starve yourself."

"Geez, this hotel has good service. Hot guys in yukatas that will carry you to your room after you gorge yourself. Maybe I should come more often."

"Hmm, should I escort you on my elbow, in the princess lift, or on my back?" Horo Horo smirked, playing along with Mahoko's game, trying to take on the role of the cool and sexy member of the onsen host club. "Or…should I just pick my favourite?"

Mahoko clapped her hands together, uttering a thanks for the meal. "Well, whatever you think is best--WHOA!"

"Wow, you're light as a feather," Horo Horo said as he lifted her into his arms, carrying Mahoko out of the kitchen, down the hall and up the stairs. "I could toss you up and down if I wanted to."

"If you do that I'll smack you," she grumbled, opening the bedroom door for Horo Horo before he could. She had to still be a little independent. "I have no interest in being twirled and tossed."

"Hmm? So you're not a romantic…"

"Sure, I am. Just don't think that's romantic."

"Eh~! Now I'm curious," he sang, settling Mahoko down and taking out the futon and beginning to prepare it for her.

Mahoko looked away, blushing. "I…think being held like that would be romantic…only he's teaching me how to swim, but I'm too afraid to let go. He tries to be funny and drop me, but I won't let go."

"Does he ever get you to let go?" Horo Horo asked.

"I don't know," she admitted, crawling under the blankets. "I never thought that far."

"Well, if you ever think of an ending, let me know."

"Yeah, yeah," she yawned, snuggling into her blankets. "Hey, if Mosuke's still out there, tell him he's cool, and if he made Miyuki cry I'll skin him, even if he's dead and my ancestor. He owes her for disappearing for 600 years, after all. Oh yeah, if you ever get a spouse that does that to you, point them out and I'll kill them too."

"Yeah, same to you," Horo Horo grinned, hand on the door, ready to pull it shut as he entered a low bow. "Well then, have a good sleep, my lady. I had a lovely evening with you. Please come talk to this lonely gentleman soon," he grinned, back to his old self. "In other words, come hang out with me again."

"Well, I'm staying in this hotel until I'm forcibly removed so…you'll have to talk to me. But whatever, shoo, shoo, I'm trying to sleep!"

Horo Horo laughed, shutting the door softly. "Night, Mahoko."

Mahoko didn't answer, having already slipped into a deep sleep, happy and sedated thanks to Horo Horo's food and kindness.

Her heart never felt warmer.


	17. Growth

(Ichigo: Finally! New chapter! It's a long one!

Orenji: So we'll let you guys get started! Enjoy everyone!)

Disclaimer: We don't own Shaman King...but our OCs we definately do!

* * *

Chapter 16: Growth

After the events of Tokageroh, everything returned back to normal. Training resumed, school life and homework revived, everything was back to normal.

Well, almost.

The onsen's own version of a strutting, loud, annoying rooster was a new addition.

"WAKE UP!" Horo Horo, the rooster, threw open Yoh's door with gusto. Blearily, Yoh raised his head in response.

"It's too early…" the boy protested, sitting up carefully, clutching his head. It was so early he was feeling dizzy.

"What?! It's 5! It's not like I'm waking you up at 3 AM!" Horo Horo streaked past Kotomi, waving a greeting at the girl who was peaking out from her room curiously, and threw open Mahoko's door. She was sleeping peacefully, exactly where he left her the night before, like a princess. "Oiii! Wake up!"

"I WAS TRYING TO SLEEP, YOU ASSHOLE!" Mahoko was up, and kicking Horo Horo into the wall across from her room before he even knew it.

He didn't know that even a princess could react violently when awoken prematurely from her beauty rest.

"We're definitely awake now…" Kotomi stood beside Yoh, both just as blearily as the other.

"If I go back to sleep now, I'll have nightmares…"

"Mm-hmm…"

* * *

"What's wrong?" Horo Horo asked as everyone sat around the breakfast table downstairs, a large bag of ice on his head for the enormous lump on his head. "You guys aren't eating!"

Kotomi stared at the bowl of rice sitting innocently before her. "This…This is butter rice! Mako, did you make this!?"

"I didn't! I swear!" Mahoko insisted, waving her left hand at Kotomi.

"Butter Couple…"

"Whose a couple!?" Mahoko shouted, throwing her empty bowl at Kotomi, knocking the girl over.

"It's too early to eat food," Yoh complained as he chewed, too sleepy to notice the fight happening between the girls and too sleepy to chew properly. He felt that he was probably chewing like a cow or camel but he didn't really care at the moment.

"Hey," Horo Horo wrapped his arm around Yoh's neck menacingly. "Don't leave any leftovers. People who leave leftovers go to hell."

"I don't wanna go to hell…"

"I think we're already there…" Kotomi commented, popping back up, Mahoko's rice bowl perched on her head like a porcelain beret.

"Nice hat," Anna commented, putting a bite of rice in her mouth.

"It'd be cooler if I didn't have butter in my hair…"

"Oh, come on, suck it up," Mahoko reached across the table and began eating Kotomi's bowl of rice.

Kotomi pursued her lips. "You're in an awfully good mood for someone who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Did something good happen last night?"

Mahoko laughed, removing the beret bowl from Kotomi's head. "Well, nothing particularly good happened last night," Mahoko twirled the bowl on her finger, oblivious to Horo Horo's expression, which was akin to one someone who had been punched in the stomach might wear. "I'm just excited about Largo, that's all."

Kotomi froze. That's right, Largo had passed overhead the night before. Largo, the Destiny Star, the signal of the beginning of the Shaman Fight. It flew over the onsen, quietly, majestically, but powerfully. The very sight of it filled the shamans there and all over the world with excitement and boundless energy, causing them to whisper, whoop and cry in excitement.

However, seeing Largo filled Kotomi with none of those feelings. Instead, the Destiny Star chilled her to the bone, and her stomach immediately bunched up and twisted into knots that had no loosened at all since they first appeared.

In fact, they seemed to be getting tighter with every mention of training for the Shaman Fight, Largo, and just fighting in general.

"O-Oh, right, Largo…" Kotomi laughed, trying hard to seem normal. "It is really exciting…"

Mahoko frowned and Horo Horo blinked. Worried, he leaned towards the girl, cutting across Yoh to do so. "Hey, what's wrong, you're not yourself. Are you going to be sick?"

"I am," Yoh agreed, indeed looking very green.

"W-Whoa!" Horo Horo jerked upright, moving his head out of the path of any potential vomit. "What!? D-Don't throw up over here! You know that still counts as wasting food, right!?"

"I don't care…it hurts too much to keep it in," Yoh turned greener and a retching sound was released from deep in his throat.

"BATHROOM…!" Horo Horo grabbed Yoh by the back of his yukata and dashed away, leaving Kotomi and Mahoko staring after them.

Quietly, Anna putt down her chopsticks and clapped her hands. "Thanks for the food."

Anna was a cool, calm and collected as ever, even when faced with her fiancé potentially upchucking his breakfast.

If only Horo Horo was as calm as Anna. Maybe then Yoh wouldn't have been thrown bodily into the bathroom, and his face wouldn't have collided painfully with the floor.

* * *

"Yoh-kun good morning!" Manta waved at the approaching shamans. "Eh? What's wrong, Yoh-kun. You don't look so well…"

"It was a rough morning," Kotomi said to explain away Yoh's shiner, and his and her sickly, pained expressions.

"Whoa! You do look horrible!"

"Ho-kun made butter rice," she said, worrying Manta even more. Usually when he let slip those kinds of remarks are at least acknowledged, if not returned with a sharp counter-insult or blunt observation.

"Actually," Kotomi smiled a little. "You're looking kinda frazzled yourself, Manta. You okay?"

Manta froze stiff before slowly turning back towards the school gate where a pair of red eyes glared at him. "Well, Ringo-san's been here waiting with me…"

"Yeah, well, same to you!" she snapped, jabbing her nail into Manta's spine.

Suddenly, Manta's earnest behavior at Yoh and the others appearance made sense to them. It would be unnerving for a human like him to be around Ringo for too long. Even students and people just passing by were giving the much smaller girl a wide berth. Being on eye-level with her like Manta was must be twenty times as unnerving.

"Butter rice, Mahoko?" Ringo sneered up at the taller, older girl. "Are you sure this Horo Horo isn't your soul mate? You finally found a guy besides your mother's favourite boxer that likes putting butter on rice."

"What are you talking about? He puts ketchup on rice."

Ringo blanched. "Same difference…they're both disgusting. You guys are so weird."

"Hey! He is not! Don't let Mom hear that! She'll suffocate you!"

"Your mom's a crazy fangirl!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mahoko grumbled, grabbing the handle's of Ringo's wheelchair and pushed her off. "Let's get you upstairs."

Kotomi stared after her best friend's back. "Guess they're both in pretty good moods today."

"Guess the excitement is spreading," Anna reasoned as she walked past Kotomi and into the school, everyone else following soon after.

Another normal day had begun, but the knots in Kotomi's stomach didn't relax at all.

* * *

"Hey, is it alright to be so calm?" Manta asked Yoh, as the two of them plus Anna and Kotomi relaxed in the park after school. "Isn't the Shaman Fight about to start? You said that's what Largo means, right? Shouldn't you be more worried than? Or at least affected by it?"

"I guess…I know it's finally time, but I don't know when it's going to start. It seems pointless to worry about it. It's too tiring…"

"It seems weird to act like that."

"It's typical Yoh thinking, though," Kotomi said from her seat on the bench beside Anna.

"Don't support his weird attitude!"

"Isn't it alright? Nothing will happen any faster…"

"Even you!?" Manta shouted, turning to look at Anna and Kotomi. When he did so, a mysterious person suddenly appeared in the sky, dressed in strange robes and wore a mask.

"Life or death," the masked man said mysteriously. "If you were given the choice, would you still participate in the Shaman Fight? If so, let us meet again when the star appears."

His message delivered, he vanished, leaving Yoh staring wistfully at the spot where he disappeared, and Kotomi shaking minutely.

Her stomach hurt worse than now.

* * *

"Life or death…" Horo Horo murmured that night, after dinner, sitting on the porch with Yoh, Kotomi and Mahoko, Anna sitting in the room behind them. "Someone like that came to me as well."

"Same for me and Ringo. So creeeepy. So you got a hot guy, Yoh!?"

"I-I don't know!" Yoh sweat dropped, how was he supposed to know if the guy was hot? He was a guy and the stranger was wearing a mask!"

"Just ask the girls that were there!" Horo Horo suggested, looking over at Kotomi. "Hey, so was he good looking?"

"Huh?" she said distractedly. "O-Oh…well, his voice was kinda nice…"

"Ahhh, then he's probably ugly," Horo Horo said confidently. "Guys who are easy on the ears, are rarely easy on the eyes as well."

Of course, Horo Horo considered himself one of the rare cases where both were true.

"That's not true," Atsumi materialized beside the teenagers. "Yoh-kun has a nice voice and is very cute!"

"You're waaaay, too nice, Atsumi," Horo Horo sighed.

"I was about to say the same about you…"

"W-Well, don't let me stop you…!"

Mahoko picked up a handful of dirt and pitched it at Horo Horo. "Can we please get back to hot guys in animal masks?"

"Yours had a mask too?" Yoh asked, the blush that bloomed on his cheeks from Atsumi's words gone.

"Yeah! Defiantly not Japanese, maybe Native American…" Mahoko mused. "Or something…BAH!"

"Don't fry your brain," Horo Horo patted Mahoko's head as she fell backwards onto the porch, steam pouring out of her ears. She had been thinking too hard about what the masked men could be.

"Seriously, though," Anna piped up from inside the onsen. "All this is a little scary."

"Mm…I have the chills…"

Horo Horo grabbed Kotomi's arm in surprise. "Wow! You really do! You have goosebumps all over your arm! So you're really going for it, Kotomi? Hehe, maybe I'll finally get to see you in action! I've never seen you fight before!"

"Y-Yeah! Maybe!"

"Are you sure you want to do this, Komi?" Mahoko frowned, sitting up. "I might not be there if something goes wrong."

"I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! I'm totally game! I'm gunna take this thing by storm!!!"

Atsumi's eyes softened as she moved behind the girl, massaging her shoulders. Just as they thought, they were tense. Despite her attitude, Kotomi was truly afraid. "If you get too into it, you won't have any energy at all!"

"You don't wanna go up against me like that, Komi! I'm going for the top!"

"Don't worry, I've practiced! I can take you!"

"Me too!" Yoh smiled, glad the mood was lightening.

"Swords against a quiver of my arrows? That sounds like child's play!"

"My ice against your arrows," Horo Horo tilted his nose into the air, confident. "That's child's play."

"I'll just seal your snowboard."

The boy winced. "Ow. Low blow."

"Well, I'll do what I have to do."

"I'll make sure you two can't fight each other once I become Shaman King!" Yoh chirped.

Kotomi stared at the three other shaman. "You guys are all so serious…"

"Well, yeah," Horo Horo glanced up at the sky. "It's our chance to make our dreams come true!"

"You guys are being ridiculous," Anna stood and exited the room. "I'm going to bed."

"Good night!" Yoh called.

"Well, I might as well get to bed too," Horo Horo reasoned, standing up. "See you, Yoh and gals!"

"I better head home too," Mahoko pulled out her cell phone, and began making a call, looking for a ride.

"No point in going home. Just stay here for another night. I'll make you some more rice."

Horo Horo's promise seemed to convince Mahoko to stay, as she quickly grabbed Kotomi and dragged the girl upstairs to their bedrooms.

"So easy to please," the boy sang.

"Just not at 5 AM…"

Horo Horo grimaced at Yoh's reminder of that morning. "I think she knocked my teeth loose…"

"She really does have a lot of upper body strength for a girl…"

"Well, she's an archer and a boxer, isn't she? Those bows aren't easy to string and pull, you know!"

"Are you defending her?" Yoh asked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, just as quickly as a blush was spreading across the Ainu's face at Yoh's words.

"S-So what if I am!?"

"You're so weird, Boro Boro--AH!" Yoh scrambled to his feet and took off through the halls, Horo Horo hot on his heals.

"GET MY NAME RIGHT, YOU BASTARD!"

* * *

"Shaman Fight…" Amidamaru mused after Yoh returned to the porch, having successfully alluded Horo Horo. "I wonder what kind of fight it will be. Since I am a spirit, I cannot become any stronger. I'm worried…can we win the Shaman Fight with my strength alone?"

"I…think you guys have a good shot…"

Ghost and shaman turned, surprised to find Kotomi standing behind them, arms wrapped around her stomach.

"Kotomi-dono…?! You're still awake?"

Kotomi sat down beside Yoh. "I can't sleep."

"Both of you should be in bed," Atsumi said, maternally.

"But I can't sleep."

"Even so…"

"Don't worry! We'll go to bed soon, I promise! And about what you were saying…" Yoh sighed, leaning back on his hands, reflecting on his spirit's words for a moment before answering. "No one can predict the future, right? So there's no point in worrying."

"Jeez, I wish I could be as care-free as you right now, Yoh."

"It's time like this that make me wish I could predict the future accurately like my grandfather. Even without a medium, he can see glimpses of the future…the farthest was hundreds of years! Even if I had a medium, I could only see through their eyes…but my grandfather can see the future with his own eyes!"

"Kotoya-jiichan, right? Yeah…" Kotomi smiled fondly. "A lot of the heads back home asked him to predict things for them. It's like a joke between us girls to ask him to tell us who we're going to marry and stuff…of course, he never tells. Stuff about how one shouldn't mess with destiny and stuff…he gets really mad every time."

"I remember a time when my mother asked him to look into the future to see if a cure for my skin disease exists…he was so angry with her…"

Amidamaru frowned. "He…doesn't seem like a kind man."

"No, he is. He dotes on his wife, a lot. He just doesn't like messing with things like the future."

"You gotta admire a shaman who knows not to mess with spiritual things, right? At least he doesn't abuse his power," Yoh reasoned. "I wouldn't want to know everything that was going to happen, anyway. It'd take all the fun out of--Eh! The star's calling!"

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Kotomi murmured as the shooting star flashed past. "I…I think that rice is finally getting its revenge…"

"I thought that would have digested already…" Amidamaru hovered beside Yoh, both watching Kotomi turning paler and paler, and watched as Atsumi tried to console the girl.

"I-It's either food or nerves," Kotomi groaned, doubling over, startling Yoh and Amidamaru. She had never been like this before!

Deciding it was the best course of action, Atsumi stooped down, and put Kotomi onto her back. "Shall we go? Since Yoh-kun triggered it, it's best to keep him nearby."

"Gotcha," Yoh smiled, hoping Kotomi would feel better soon. "Let's go."

"I'll be fine…!" Kotomi insisted. "Really."

"Oh please!" Atsumi snorted. "I can tell…your stomach is making you queasy, your head is pounding and your legs are numb, aren't they? Let's just go with them so your nerves will be calmed."

"Don't worry," Yoh reached out and grasped Kotomi's hand, giving it a squeeze just as gentle as the smile he flashed at her. "I'll be fine."

"You better," she said after a moment.

How was she to say it? That she wasn't nervous and worried for Yoh….no, no she was worried. She definitely was.

But that she was worried that she might not last the night if she fought…

* * *

They found him without much effort. They walked instinctively, following the path traced in the sky by the shooting star. They found him in a field, waiting patiently for them to appear.

The man dressed in Native American garb introduced himself as Silva, member of the Patch Tribe, officiate of the Shaman Fight, their judge and their opponent.

"The rules are simple," Silva explained. "You have 10 minutes. If you can land a clean blow on me within that time, you will be recognized and become an official participant of the Shaman Fight."

"That doesn't seem too hard," Kotomi pulled out her camera, hoping the familiar activity would calm her nerves. She zoomed in, framing the shot as Yoh performed Hyoui Gattei and he and Amidamaru made their first attempt to strike Silva.

"No…" Atsumi bit her lip. "Things are going to be difficult…Silva-san and Yoh-kun…aren't currently on the same level"

Kotomi's eyes widened and she observed the fight. Again, and again Yoh and Amidamaru lashed out, trying to attack Silva, but all their attacks were blocked, dodged and deflected. Soon, they had used over one-hundred percent Hyoui Gattei, and still Silva stood unharmed, and had even launched successful attacks on Yoh using four spirits, a snake, coyote, bull, and turtle. His fifth spirit, an eagle, was allowing him to hover out of harms way by using the wings sprouting from his back.

Almost half of Yoh's precious ten minutes had trickled away…

"This guy…isn't using a normal Hyoui Gattei…" Yoh gasped, feeling drained from the fight. "Even if he fuses with a spirit of an animal…you can't use their abilities the way he is! By fusing with an eagle, you shouldn't grow wings!! He's using his spirits in completely different ways…"

"That's right," Silva smirked. Yoh was beginning to understand what was going on. "I am not fusing with my spirits, I am materializing them, using the powers of a shaman…Furyoku. You are only using Hyoui Gattei to become one with that samurai…knowing this, use your mind and create a solution! The most important part of the Shaman King is his mind! You have five minutes remaining!"

Kotomi and Atsumi sucked in their breath, watching Yoh and Amidamaru as they stood still, almost completely silent as Amidamaru offered apologies and Yoh probed his own mind, hoping that if he poked around every nook and craning, the answer to his dilemma would reveal itself.

Slowly the minutes ticked away, called out by Silva, and still nothing was coming to mind. Fed up with this, the head of an eagle suddenly sprouted near Silva's shoulder. It was one of his spirit's and it was frustrated. "Hey! Silva! This kid just doesn't get it! Even if you tell him his Hyoui Gattei won't work, he doesn't understand anything! Hey kid, just go home, take a dump and go to bed! You're not gunna land a blow even if you had 10 days!"

"Exactly," said the snake spirit. "There's no way he can do it in the three minutes remaining."

"Hey!" Kotomi, fed up with the insults flying around about Yoh, stomped forward. "What do you know, you stupid--H-Hey! Let me go!"

"Now, now…I don't like this either," Atsumi dragged Kotomi back. There was an amazing amount of strength in Atsumi's slender body. "But we mustn't interfere!"

"Musn't interfere…!? Did you hear what that bird said…!?"

"Feather, Shell, Jaw, Horn, Leg…"

Kotomi and Atsumi blinked, stopping their bickering, looking over. Yoh was smiling softly, his usual, calm look back on his face. He looked like someone who had finally found the solution to something that had been bothering him.

"They all represent an animal…" Yoh smiled at Amidamaru. "I don't understand it fully…but if you're willing to trust me and lend me your strength…I think I know how we can win."

Amidamaru was overeager, glad to be of service after feeling as though he had let down his master. "Of course!"

"If Hyoui Gattei with my body won't work…then…Amidamaru, Spirit Ball Mode," Yoh grasped Amidamaru and hefted the Harusame before him, forcing Amidamaru into his sword as though he was performing Hyoui Gattei, causing a larger version of Amidamaru's spirit ball mode to form around Yoh's arm, Harusame's hilt in its teeth. "Amidamaru in Harusame!!"

Silva grin stretched across his face. Finally, Yoh had figured it out, and the real test could begin. "Using Oversoul for the first time is tiring, isn't it? This is what it means to use Furyoku. One minute remains…whether or not you can land a blow within that time…I'm unsure. After all, I can now use my full strength…Spirital Fusion! Totem Pole Cannon!"

At Silva's words, his oversouls detached from his body and fused together like puzzle pieces, forming a large cannon which began charging, glowing brightly, as soon as it landed in Silva's hands.

"This is another kind of oversoul," Silva explained. "It combines all the spirits' strengths into one. If your Furyoku can beat this, you will have defeated all my spirits and me. This attack might kill you, but if you want to become Shaman King…challenge it!" Confusion briefly flickered across Silva's face when Yoh continued to smile calmly. "Do you not fear death?"

"There's no such person…but if I give up and get off easy, I'll never be at peace with myself," he grinned. "I'll manage somehow."

"I see…so this is how your soul works. Very well. Show me your strength as a Shaman!"

Suddenly, the cannon in Silva's hands discharged, sending a ball of energy flying towards Yoh. Ready for the attack, Yoh managed to catch the ball of energy on the edge of Harusame's blade and sent his own attack in retaliation. When the after effects of both attacks dissipated, Yoh fell onto his back, exhausted, Oversoul broken.

Silva was still standing.

His own minute last shot had been futile.

"Don't worry," Silva was quick to ensure Yoh's companions as they fussed over the collapsed Asakura. "He is just exhausted from using his Furyoku to land a hit on me."

As he spoke, the headband around his forehead split in half. "He qualified."

"What!?" Yoh gasped, sitting upright all of a sudden.

"Y-You're not dead at all!!" Kotomi cried.

It seemed, there would be a cause to celebrate for tonight.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in another part of Tokyo…_

"You didn't really have to stay until closing, Mizuhara-kun," Chikaru placed a mango parfait on the table before the tall stranger she had met weeks ago and had now began to frequent the café she worked at. "I can get home by myself, and it's late and you need to get home too…"

"It's worth if it you're safe, right? Besides, it's a precaution," he rested his chin on his palm, smiling at the girl dressed in her frilly uniform when she asked what he meant. "Well, what would I do if the one night I left early, you ran into another crazy drunk, huh?"

Chikaru flushed to the roots of her hair. "T-That was a one time occurrence!" she protested, raising the metal tray she held to block her face from view. "It wouldn't happen again!"

"Do I seem like the kind of man to take that chan_c_e?"

"No…" she lowered the tray a little and peered around it. "That's what I like about you."

"Good to know. Now," he spun the girl around and gently pushed her forward to get her going. "Please finish up your work so I can get you home before midnight if possible."

"Yes, sir!" she chirped, disappearing into the back, returning 15 minutes later, dressed in her school uniform, ready to take his parfait glass to the back and then leave. "I'm ready now, Mizuhara-kun…Mizuhara-kun?"

Chikaru was confused. There was a strange man in robes standing outside the shop window, and he and Uchito were having a stare down. "Mizuhara-kun, who is he?"

"Stand back," he instructed, spreading a muscular arm out, stopping Chikaru from approaching any further, before tugging off his clothing in one swift tug, revealing a black outfit, obviously made for battle. He produced a cross-bow out of nowhere and attached it to a holder on his long gloves. "Are you an officiate?"

"I am," the man outside the window said. "And you are a shaman who wishes to participate in the tournament, are you not?"

"Naturally…Falco, into the crossbow!" Uchito cried, his crossbow enveloped in a blue glow, startling Chikaru behind him.

"I see you're serious…follow me then," the man suddenly disappeared and Uchito tore out the door after him, Chikaru stumbling after him.

"Mi-Mizuhara-kun?! Mizuhara-kun? Where are you going!? MIZUHARA-KUN!"

Abruptly, Uchito skid to a stop, squatting down. "Hop on."

"H-Hop on!?"

"My back. I'll explain everything later," he said as she climbed on. "We'll be moving pretty fast, so hold on tight and keep your eyes closed."

Once Chikaru did this, he zipped over to where the Patch officiate was waiting. "Let's make this quick, I'm on a tight schedule. I already know the rules," Uchito held out his arm, ready to fire a shot. "Can I start?"

"If you insist…" said the Patch, invoking his own oversoul and dodging Uchito's first short, but was quickly snagged by Uchito's next shots.

This boy…was someone to be kept under watch.

"Do you want me to run again, sir? Without the lady on my back?"

"No, you've proven himself," Out of thin air, he produced a dark-blue device. "You will be contacted through this Oracle Bell. It is proof that you have defeated me. It contains an instruction manual, feel free to read it at your leisure to familiarize yourself with its many functions."

"Thank you," Uchito bowed. "Now, not to be rude…but I need to get this human home before it's too late. Bye!"

* * *

"You owe me an explanation, Mizuhara-kun."

"Do I have to…?" he asked, as he shed the armour he had been wearing, and pulling his arms out of the tight black clothing so he can roll the material down to his waist. It was a warm night in Tokyo, and all this running had produced a light sheen of sweat.

"W-Well, not all of it," Chikaru stuttered, her determined attitude faltering slightly as she got an eyeful of Uchito Mizuhara's muscular chest and stomach. "But you owe me something. You have a falcon, and a crossbow, and you had a fight with a Native American! You have to tell me something!"

"I'm a shaman, a medium between the mortal and spiritual world. Which allows them to go into my body, or for me to channel them into objects like my crossbow!"

"G-Gah!" Chikaru covered her head as Uchito swung his crossbow around. "Don't swing that around!"

"It's not loaded," he assured her. "I channel my body's spiritual energy to make my own ammo. But…I do have real ammo for when I'm tired. Falco here," he indicated the falcon perched on his shoulders. "Is a genie. A type of animal spirit. But other shamans channel human spirits…are you getting any of this?"

Chikaru was staring at him blankly. "Vaguely."

"You can see Falco, right?" he smiled a little when she nodded. "Usually humans can't if their minds are clouded by darkness. Basically, people who can see spirits are good, people who can't aren't."

Chikaru stared at him, eyes slowly widening. "Are you…complimenting me?"

"Humans like you are rare. It means you're a good person. Which is a good thing in my world! You can see spirits just like I can…and probably with just a bit of training you could learn to do what I do."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Mizukoshi-san, I'm an assassin by trade. I'm hired help…to guard or to kill for money are common for me. And right now I'm on an important mission to find a human just like you."

Chikaru took a step back, surprised. "Is that why you approached me?"

"Not at first…I was just sleeping on the rooftop when I decided to help you. But after observation, I have to say you're everything I'm looking for in a gi--great candidate! Ahaha," he laughed nervously, his cheeks turning pink. "Jeez, people in Tokyo sure have weird accents, huh!?"

"This great candidate…" Chikaru was standing closer to Uchito now, barely realizing that there were only a few centimeters between them now. "What's it for?"

"Well, there's some sort of ritual that goes on. Basically, way more powerful shaman go all out for a prize to prove the worth of their clans. But after that, five people are hand picked by officials like me to be a sort of…co-hort to one of the five shaman who will seal away the greatest evil the world has ever seen. It's kind of major."

"And you picked me…?"

"Well…yeah…I'd like it if you did this. Because then I…ahh, forget that. Do you accept or not? If you do, great, I'll take you with me. If not, I'll have Falco wipe your memory of this night and I'll be as good as gone."

"Of course I accept!" Chikaru answered with hesitation. She completely trusted him.

"Y-You do…!? I mean…" he coughed into his fist, trying to regain his composure. He couldn't start babbling. "I have a message to deliver, but I'll come back and get you. Be read by then."

"What should I bring?"

"U-Um…whatever a girl needs to bring for a trip that will last who knows how long? I'm sure my usual client will provide what they can…but…have PJs and unmentionables ready."

"You'll…really come and get me?" she asked, nervously, coiling one pigtail around her finger.

Uchito gulped, watching the grayish strands wrap around and around her delicate finger. "Yeah…I have a message to deliver but I'll be back in three days…"

"Yes…I promise I'll be back…"

Chikaru bent forward, her bangs brushing against his shoulders as she did so. "I'll be waiting then…"

"D-Don't worry…" he was swallowing excessively, his throat had gone dry. "I'm never late…"

"I'll be waiting…right here…for you…" Chikaru smiled softly as she straightened from her bow and quickly retreated into her house.

When the gate clanged shut and the door slammed shut, Uchito sunk to his knees, zapped off all his energy.

As he sat there, wondering what had just helped, Falco let loose a series of wolf whistles, obviously enjoying the situation his master was finding himself in more and more often.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"WHEEEEEE~!"

Atsumi watched, mildly amused with a hand on her cheek, as Yoh danced about, twirling the orange Oracle Bell that Silva had given him. "It's so unlike him to be this excited…"

"You're telling meeeeee," Kotomi shrieked as Yoh grabbed her hands and she was swept away in Yoh's exuberant celebration.

"Could you listen to me until I'm finished!?" Silva snapped, having been trying to give instructions to the boy and was ignored.

"S-Sorry, Silva-san!" Atsumi apologized. "Please continue!"

"That is an Oracle Bell," Silva indicated the orange object in Yoh's hands. "It transmits all information regarding the Shaman Fight. It will display the will of the Great Spirit directly."

"Great Spirit?"

"It is the all-knowing, most powerful spirit that only the Shaman King may inherit. The source of all souls that have been watching since the beginning of the world, The King of Spirits."

His message delivered, Silva suddenly took off into the air with the help of his spirits, and with his final blessing he was gone.

"So now you're one step closer to your dream, Yoh!" Kotomi excitedly grabbed Yoh's hands after a moment of silence, and squeezing. "Good luck. Really. If you need my help with any opponent or anything, just ask!"

Yoh blinked, once, twice. The girl's words were confusing them. She was speaking as though only he would be fighting out of the two of them…was that why Silva left? Did he somehow understand?

"You're…not going to participate?" Yoh tentatively asked.

Kotomi bowed her head slightly, almost as though she were ashamed, embarrassed and couldn't face Yoh. "After seeing all that…I know with how hard I've trained and practiced, I would be lucky to come out of a test like that alive. I think…there's something else I'm supposed to be doing. Fighting isn't for me…"

"Well…are you sure?" Yoh squeezed her hands in return. He was happy she had something she wanted to pursue, but he also didn't want her to have any regrets. She was an important friend, and thus her happiness was important as well. If she was going to regret this later on…

"Mm! I'm sure. I'll find my own way. But that means…you have to work hard for the both of us, okay?"

"Course! I'll kick butt for the both of us!"

"Thanks!" Kotomi turned her head to look at Atsumi nearby. "Is it alright to talk to you in private later?"

Atsumi nodded. "Of course…"

"Great!" Kotomi smiled at Yoh. "In the meantime. Let's go back to the onsen and celebrating!"

"Woo!!!" Yoh cried as he spun the Oracle Bell round and round once more.

"Whoa!" Kotomi ducked as the object swung too close for her head for her own comfort. "You're going to hit someone!"

"It's okay," Yoh assured her, twirling the device in a more subdued manner as they walked back towards the onsen. "I'll swing it high enough so it'll only hit Amidamaru."

"T-Thank you for your consideration, Yoh-dono…" Amidamaru sniffled, tears streaming down his cheeks as Atsumi patted his shoulder, surprising the girl when he suddenly hugged her. "Atsumiii!"

Kotomi laughed, looking back at the two spirits floating along behind her and Yoh. "You guys are so cute!"

"You two are also cute!"

Kotomi blushed, waving her hands, trying to brush away Atsumi's words. "W-What!? No, No way!"

"Haha, you really are~! It's even cuter when you blush like that~!"

"Y-You're so mean sometimes, Atsumi-san!" Kotomi said over the rattling sound of Yoh sliding open the onsen's door. "But…I kinda love you anyway."

"AWWW!" Atsumi jumped onto the young girl, hugging her so tightly they crashed to the ground.

"Whoa! Uncle! Uncle!"

"Good night you two," Yoh said, laughing as he bent down to look Kotomi in the eyes. "I better get to bed before Anna skins me!"

"Mm!" Kotomi waved. "Good night, King-sama~!"

Yoh flushed, giggling a little as he stood and headed up the stairs. "Night!"

"You think now's as good a time to talk as any?" Kotomi asked, receiving her answer when Atsumi helped her up. Immediately, Kotomi sunk into a low bow. "Please, I'm asking you again! Please consider making me your apprentice and teach me the ways of the yuta!"

"I knew you were going to ask that again…You realize this path can't be used for fighting of any sort, right? And that to learn enough for it to be useful will be strenuous…"

"I already accepted that I'm not a fighter…I know if I tried that test I would have failed, and maybe died. But I think I have a chance at doing something with myself if I become a yuta. If that's the case, I don't care how hard I have to work."

"…Why do you want to learn this?"

"I want to help everyone. If I was strong I could help fix Rin-chan's legs and maybe Ryou will smile at me like he means it, for once. If Yoh, Ho-kun or Mako get hurt fighting, I can make them feel better so they won't get discouraged…I want to help them."

"And? Manta as well?"

"Of course Manta as well! He's my friend, too! It's just…hard to picture him being in danger like that…but if he ever does, I'll help."

Atsumi smiled softly. She gave the right answer. "I will teach you," she said, straightening the brunette from her bow. "But to do the things I do, you have to become an aura reader like myself. I was born with the ability, but it is teachable if you don't mind the extra training you'll have to go through. It's a little like how Mahoko and Miyuki sense evil auras…only it's a lot more detailed and intrusive."

"I'm willing to learn!" Kotomi insisted, grabbing onto Atsumi's sleeves. "I'm just grateful that you're giving me the chance!"

Atsumi scratched at her cheek. "W-We'll have to work on that during Self Control 101…but…oh! I'm so excited to have a pupil!"

"Please treat me kindly, Atsumi-sensei! Or…whatever you want to be called."

"I'd say call me by my nickname…but Atsumi's already my nickname!"

Kotomi blinked. "It's not your real name?"

"No, I'm named after my grandfather, but my mother hated the name so she gave me this new one."

"You have a Koto name too…?"

Atsumi nodded. "Kotoni."

A smile stretched across the young girl's face. "Ehhh? It sounds like mine."

"Well, for me to teach you, you need to know everything about me and vice-versa."

"Ah! Then what do you want to know about me?"

"All in due time…"

"Okay…but seriously," the new yuta-in-training beamed up at her teacher. "Thank you."

"You freed me from Hotaru, and reunited me with my family. It's the least I can do…besides," Atsumi reached out and tugged the girl to her chest, hugging her tightly. "It'll be so much fun!"

* * *

In order to celebrate the fact that all from the Funbari Onsen who had tried out had qualified for the Shaman King tournament, Horo Horo and Ryu had stepped out and gone to a grocery store just shy of closing time and purchased ingredients and snacks for a late night/early morning celebration bash.

"Ehehehehe," Horo Horo giggled, skipping out of the grocery store, hugging a paper bag tightly to his chest. Inside contained a carton of eggs and some of Mahoko's favourite snacks. The thought of what Mahoko might do to thank him, was making him blush and become giddy. "Tonight's a good night~!"

"Ahahaha, you've got that look on your face, my little friend!" Ryu cheekily observed.

"What? I'm just happy! I feel like something good's waiting for me! Like tonight's my lucky night!"

"I hope, for your sake, it is to be-ee-ee…is that who I think it is!?"

Horo Horo jerked his head up. Sure enough, there was Mahoko strutting their way towards them. "H-Hey! I thought her brother gave her a ride home after her match…!"

"Hello, Ryu-kun~!" she purred. "I haven't seen you in a long time!"

"Hey, hey, Mahoko," Horo Horo was digging through the bag excitedly. "Look what I got you--are you even paying attention to me!? Ma-Mahoko!" he was horrified when Mahoko latched onto Ryu's arm and rubbed her cheek against it. "What are you doing!?"

"Are you going to see Komi soon? Can I come too? I miss you~!"

"Eh!? You miss _him_!? But I don't even get a hello!?"

"L-Let's go, Mako~!" Ryu eagerly said, after looking down and getting a an eyeful of Mahoko's cleavage, framed in a tight black shirt.

"Hehehe~!" Mahoko took Ryu's large hairy hand in his, pulling him forward for a moment and stopping. "Oops! That's right! The guy should lead! Go ahead, Ryu~!"

"Follow me~!"

And she did. But Horo did too. All the while wondering if going to Hell was worth it if he could cover Ryu's hair in egg yolks.

* * *

"What. The. Hell!?" Mahoko cried, seeing her exact double wearing more risqué clothing than she would ever wear, and was clinging to Ryu's arm.

Violently shocked for the second time that night, Horo Horo dropped his bag, ignoring the loud crack the eggs made as they broke. "Who the hell are you then!?" he pointed an accusing finger at the Mahoko clinging to Ryu's arm.

"Sorry, but I had to find a way to get here without arousing suspicion," Mahoko pulled away, her body shimmering and when it stilled, a tall, dark haired male was standing in her place. "My name is Uchito Mizuhara, part of the Elite Core of the Mizuhara Forces."

"N-Nice to meet you…" Kotomi said from beside Mahoko, dazed by the handsomeness of the stranger. The Mizuhara's really were the most beautiful creatures around.

"I'm sorry, but I already have a fiancée," Anna crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe.

"I-I'm not a suitor! I'm here on business!"

"You're Ichi-nii's bodyguard…I remember you!" Mahoko pointed at him.

"Ehh!? Ichi-nii's! Then you are here on important business if you're the heir's bodyguard!" Kotomi paused, frowning. "Is it about what's going on back home?"

"It was a personal favour asked by Mizuhara-sama before his death. That I go to Tokyo and be yours, the Kajitsu-samas and Tachikawa-samas until you go back to Nara."

"Be ours…?" Mahoko parroted.

Uchito laughed, turning pink. "Sorry! I'm so nervous, I've never been before two beautiful shaman heiresses and a gorgeous itako before."

"Hey, Yoh…" Horo Horo whispered in the boys ear, having joined everyone on the lawn. "You grab his legs, I'll get his arms, and we'll drown him in the onsen."

"I-I'm not participating in murder!"

"What I meant to say was," Uchito continued obliviously. "I'm your escort. All of yours. Mizuhara-dono was very worried, so he entrusted me with this duty before he died."

Kotomi and Mahoko's eyes softened, returning Uchito's bow. If it was orders from Ichiei's grandfather, they couldn't refuse. Horo Horo, on the other hand, could. "Why do they need an escort!?" he asked. "It's not like they're going to be ambushed or anything, right?"

"Do try to understand. Unlike the Shaman King Tournament, the Kansai Tournament occurs every 1000 years. It's practically tradition for the children of the leader of the head families to win."

"The simple explanation is that we're going spelunking," Kotomi added to Uchito's words.

"And if we don't reach the end of the cave, we don't come back," Mahoko added. "If we do, we grab the item there and make sure we keep it, and get out. Like a race with your life on the line. It's in our blood….it's what we've spent our lives working for."

"It's important," Kotomi insisted when Horo Horo looked sceptical. "It gives our families a lot of honour, even if you're not good at something or caused trouble, if you win all is forgiven."

"Instead of being a good miko and Shinto girl like my grandma wants, I spend time in America boxing…"

"And I slacked off a lot, so now when my family needs me I can only let them down. This is our chance to make amends. All it takes is 15 minutes to re-write a lifetime of mistakes!"

"Y-You guys…Yoh! Help me out. This is ridiculous!" Horo Horo spun around, expecting back up, only to find Yoh teary-eyed.

"I want to see it!" Yoh cried, startling Anna and everyone else.

"It'd be an honour for an Asakura to attend the festities!" Uchito smiled at Anna when she glowered. "You can relax while he trains with everyone else. It's torture."

"You're putting him in front of GG's truck!?"

"Sakurai-san," Uchito frowned. "It was be improper for you to show up without an escort."

"B-B-But! He's engaged!"

"There's nothing wrong with a friend escorting a friend. Escorts receive top lodgings, so of course his fiancée will be able to come too."

"I get free cable," Anna demanded, smiling when Uchito easily consented. "Good…"

"Naturally, Tachikawa-san will escort his lovely sister--"

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm escorting Mahoko!"

Uchito looked confused as he stared at Horo Horo. "You weren't in my residence records. Are you the shaman from the North? You must be a new addition. I never heard of you."

"Y-You're keeping records!?" Horo Horo gasped in horror as Uchito began writing on a scroll with a brush.

"I am to know every detail about the people I am trusted with protecting," Uchito let the scroll snap back on itself. "Nice to meet you, Ainu-san. If you are attending I must make sure to RSVP you a warm bed. Tachikawa-san's mother will be overjoyed."

Mahoko stared in horror at the thought of her mother coming. She was even more into younger men than Kotomi's mother…Horo Horo would be eaten!

"So it's settled. We will be meeting at the JRC station at 5:00 AM in three days. We will be taking Mizuhara-kun's private train. He wishes to greet you all personally," he said, writing names out on a slip of paper to have Falco deliver. "Yoh Asakura, Anna Kyoyama, Ainu-san, Mizukoshi-chan…"

"Ah!" Yoh gasped. "Manta'll want to come too!"

"He could probably pass as Rin-chan's escort," Kotomi said quickly, trying to sell Uchito to the idea before he figured out Manta was a human. "If we get in any trouble we can say he's looking after our luggage."

"I suppose he's a human?" Uchito pressed his lips into a firm line when Kotomi nodded. "I suppose I can pull some strings…"

"Thank you~!"

"This…is really happening, isn't it?" Horo Horo asked, suddenly exhausted.

"Yep!" Kotomi was bouncing on her heals. "I'm so excited!"

"Now, if you would be so kind, could you relay the information to…to…Kajitsu-san, please!? I still can't bear to meet him face to face! He's revered in my ranks…the things I heard that he's done to my kin…" Uchito shuddered, truly frightened. "W-Well, I best be going! Lots to do!"

"What…did Ryou do to those guys?" Horo Horo asked, politely waving with everyone else.

Mahoko and Kotomi abruptly stopped at Horo Horo's word's. "You know what!?" Kotomi put her hand to her stomach, running over to where Ryu was standing. "I'm starved! You guys went for groceries, right!? What are we having? Ryuuu, Ryuuuu, Bokuto no Ryuuuu…."

"I think he's dead…" Horo Horo said, watching as Kotomi waved her hands infront of Ryu's face. Ryu was as still as stone.

"Eh!?"

"Uchito…kinda disguised himself as Mahoko and seduced Ryu into bringing him here," Horo Horo explained to Yoh.

"Wow…" Kotomi backed away from Ryu, as though he were carrying a horrible disease. "That must have been a sight."

"Dearly beloved…Elvis has left the building," Mahoko sighed, palming her face in her hand. "Again."


End file.
